The ill fate befalling former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, was compounded yesterday as a Federal High Court in Abuja granted the request of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for interim forfeiture of about 40 landed property believed to have been unlawfully acquired by him.
Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, have been in detention in the United Kingdom after their arrest in London on June 23 over their alleged complicity in a plot to unlawfully harvest the organ of a Nigerian male youth.
In a ruling on yesterday, Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted the motion ex-parte filed by the EFCC and argued by its lawyer, Ibrahim Buba.
Justice Ekwo ordered the EFCC to publish the interim forfeiture order in a national daily within seven days to afford anybody with interest in the affected property to show cause within 14 days of the publication why the property should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
The judge adjourned till December 5, 2022 for report, during which the EFCC is to report its compliance with the order and for anybody with interest in the affected property to file any objection to the interim forfeiture order.
The interim forfeiture order is to affect 10 property in Enugu, one in Lagos, 15 in the Federal Capital Territory, nine in Dubai the United Emirate Republic (UAE); three in the USA and two in the United Kingdom.
The EFCC stated among others, in a supporting affidavit, that: “Sometime in March, 2008 the applicant (EFCC) received intelligence reports from the United Kingdom and the United States of America law enforcement agencies against Senator Ike Ekweremandu, then Deputy President of the Senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria on allegations of money laundering activities involving the use of several of his registered companies and entities to acquire properties in the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
“Senator Ike Ekweremadu is linked to, and has interest in the following companies/entities:
* Ikeoha Foundation – Nigeria
* Citipark Luxury Hotel Limited
* Ikeoha Foundation – United Kingdom
*Power Properties Nigeria Limited
*Prime and Power Media Limited
* Prime and Power industries Limited
*Prime and Power Konsults Limited
*Ikeoha Farms Limited
* Spider Construction Limited
*Betty Air Services Limited.
“Intelligence report indicates that Senator Ike Ekweremadu’s sources of income as a lawyer, Local Government Chairman, Chief of Staff to the Enugu State Government, Secretary to the Government of Enugu State and Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Deputy President of the Senate does not justify him acquiring various choice properties in London, United Kingdom, United States of America, Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Nigeria.
“The salaries and other allowances earned by Senator lke Ekweremadu from 1998 till date when he assumed public office are not commensurate to the properties identified and linked to him.
“A total of 40 properties were identified and traced to Senator Ike Ekweremadu, his proxies, fronts and nominees.
“A total of nine properties, three properties and two properties are located in Dubai, UAE; Florida, USA; and London, United Kingdom respectively as well as other properties in Enugu, Lagos, and Abuja.
“Bank Verification Number (BVN) enquiries made in respect of Senator Ike Ekweremadu indicate that he is linked to 55 bank accounts, and the banks involved also confirmed the existence of the accounts maintained in Nigerian Naira, United State Dollars, Pound Sterling and Euro denominations.”
The Metropolitan Police in London had announced the arrest of Ekweremadu and his wife over allegation of trying to harvest the kidney of a minor Nigerian boy they had taken with them to the UK.
The UK police had said the alleged donor, later identified as Ukpo Nwamini David, was 15 years old, but his passport data page showed he was born on October 12, 2000.
THE NATION
