Court Orders Interim Forfeiture of $899,900, N304.5m, 15 Properties Recovered From Ex-AGF, Ahmed Idris

A Federal Capital Territory High Court has ordered the interim forfeiture of monies and properties recovered from a former Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Investigations  revealed that recovered items which are a product of a painstaking investigation include a sum of $899,900 USD, N304, 490,160.95 and 15 properties in Kano and Abuja.

Justice M.A Hassan gave the Order on Tuesday, December 13, 2022 while ruling on a motion exparte no. M/1149/2022, filed by the EFCC in which it prayed the Court for an Order of interim attachment/ forfeiture of the properties in the Schedule to the application, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive case in Charge No. FCT, HC/CR/299/2022, Federal Republic of Nigeria V. Ahmed Idris and Others.

In the supporting Affidavit to the application deposed to by one Monyei Samuel Ekene, an operative of the EFCC, the Commission had requested the court to grant among others, an Order approving the interim “management of the assets and properties in the Schedule to this application to the applicant”, pending the determination of the substantive case; an order “ to open an interest yielding account where monies realized from the management of the assets and properties of the persons stated in the Schedule to this application shall be paid”, pending the determination of the substantive case; and an Order “freezing the Bank Accounts of the persons referred to as account holders/ or the bank accounts set out in the Schedule to this application”, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive case.

Justice Hassan granted the motion as prayed but further ordered that the recovery account sought to be opened by the applicant, ” shall be in the name of the Commission as Recovery Account and the details of the Account shall be reported back to the Court within one week of opening.”

The properties linked to Idris which were listed in the Schedule for forfeiture include Kano City Mall/Al Ikhlas Shopping Mall at Mandwawarti, Kano; one storey Shopping Complex at Ladanai, Kano; Corner Shops at Ladanai, Kano; a duplex at Karsana, Abuja; Royal Duplex at Deneji Quarters, Kano and a Duplex at Plot 271, New Jersey Street, Efab Blue Fountain Estate, Abuja.

It was further gathered that nine properties linked to the second respondent, Mohammed Kudu Usman, which are located in Abuja, Niger and Nasarawa States, were also ordered forfeited in the interim. They include plots of land with shops in Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger State, a 37 hectares of farmland with livestock located along Minna-Bida Road in Niger State, Bungalow flats at Gwarimpa, Abuja, Bungalow Buildings at Masaka, Nasarawa State, plots of land at Dutse Alhaji Abuja and 13 plots of land at Integrated City, Minna, Niger State.

Idris and others are being prosecuted by the EFCC on 14 counts of stealing and money laundering to the tune of N109billion.