Court orders forfeiture of herbalist’s house in Ilorin

A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin, on Tuesday, granted an order for the temporary forfeiture of a four-bedroom bungalow belonging to a herbalist, Jamiu Isiaka, who is on trial for alleged Internet fraud.

The building is situated at Oke Foma in Ilorin,

The Ilorin zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had on June 10, 2019, arraigned Jamiu for allegedly defrauding a Korean, Keun Sig Kim, and impersonating some government officials, including the then Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr Maikanti Baru; the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina; and the National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Aminat Zakari, among others.

Moving the application, the counsel for the EFCC, Andrew Akoja, sought an order for the interim forfeiture of the assets and property of the accused listed in the attached scheduled.

He also prayed the court to grant an order stopping the disposal, conveyance, mortgage, lease, sale or alienation, or otherwise, tampering with the property/assets described in the schedule by Jamiu.

The EFCC counsel also asked the court presided over by Justice Mahmood Abdulgafar to authorise the commission to appoint a competent person or firm to manage the property.

According to him, the motion was brought pursuant to sections 6, 7 and 29 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act of 2004; Section 335 of the Kwara State Administration of Criminal Justice Law of 2018; and Section 46 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.

In the affidavit deposed to by one Musa Sanni, an EFCC operative, the commission said, “The respondent, Jamiu Isiaka, told his victim that certain certificates would be presented to him by the NNPC.”

After listening to the prosecution counsel, Justice Abdulgafar granted the application and ordered the interim forfeiture of the property.

He adjourned the matter till March 19, 2020, and ordered that the interim order should be published in a national daily.