A Federal high court sitting in Ikoyi south west Nigeria has temporarily forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria apartment Flat 7b Osborne towers, 16 Osborne road Ikoyi belonging to Mrs Folashade Oke, the wife of the dismissed Director General of Nigeria Intelligence Agency, Mr Ayodele Oke.
The order of the court was sequel to an ex parte application filed and argued before the court by Economic and Financial Crimes commission EFCC legal Officer and Mr Rotimi Oyedepo,
In an affidavit sworn to by EFCC investigator, Musa Giwa Yusuf and filed before the court by Mr Oyedepo, the deponent averred that based on intelligent report received by the commission huge sums of money in foreign and local currencies being an unlawful property was surreptitiously kept in Flat 7b 16 Osborne road Ikoyi.
On the 12 of April, 2017, EFCC executed search warrant and recovered the sums of $43,449,947, £27,800, N23,218,000 which was registered with the commission’s exhibits keeper.
Thereafter EFCC sought and obtained order of the court for an interim forfeiture
The following documents were also recovered :
A document titled Lagos Government Form 1c which bears Chobe Ventures Limited .
Similarly four invoices for purchase of items from different companies bears the name of one Bunmi Olomo of 18a, Modele road Surulere Lagos, with telephone number 08033805749.
Also recovered were waybills and proforma invoice issued by Lethal World to Chobe ventures.
Sales invoices and cash receipts of Gubabi and company issued to Chobe ventures.
An envelope addressed to Ambassador and Ayodele OKE from Yemi & Omowale Dipeolu was also recovered.
The commission wrote a letter to Corporate Affairs Commission for the particulars of the Directors of Chobe ventures Limited and got a response, that the Directors of Chobe ventures are Mrs Ayodele Folashade Oke and Mr Ayodele Oke junior.
That Folashade Oke is the wife of the dismissed Director General of National intelligence Agency NIA.
In 2014 Mrs Folashade Oke contacted one Rawlings Ehumadu of Rawlings Ehunadu and company to search for a serviced flat for her to purchase, the said Rawlings complied with his client’s instruction, located flat 7b 16 Osborne road Ikoyi for Folashade Oke as suitable service flat. The same agent contacted Fine and Country International Reality by making offer and counter offer to and on behalf of Chobe ventures for the purchase of the property sought to be forfeited.
Rawlings Ehumadu, he volunteered a statement, that Mrs Oke showed interest in the property sought to be forfeited and contacted one Alhaji Shehu Usman Anka to transferred total sum of N374. 4 million to Fine and country international reality, the said Alhaji Shehu Usman Anka received $1,658,000 in cash from Mrs Folashade Oke which was converted to Naira and transferred to Fine and Country international reality.
Alhaji Usman Anka volunteered statement that Fine and country international reality acknowledged the receipt of the sum of N360 million from Chobe ventures being the purchase price of four bedroom apartment known as flat 7b Osborne Osborne towers ,16 Osborne road Ikoyi. Lagos
Fine and country international reality acknowledged the receipt of N9.4 million Chobe Ventures Limited being payment for professional fee rendered to Chobe ventures.
One Oyeama Okonjo, a Director of Fine and country international reality, volunteered statement that after the payment to Fine and country international reality, a deed of assignment in respect of the property was executed between Union bank Plc and Chobe ventures Limited,upon the execution of the deed assignment, the property was handed over to Chobe ventures.
The $1, 658,000 Mrs Oke gave in cash to Alhaji Shehu Usman was part of the funds belonging to the Federal Government of Nigeria which was fraudulently converted by Mr Ayodele Oke while serving as Director General of NIA, the fund used to secure the property in the Name of Chobe ventures belongs to the Federal Government of Nigeria but fraudulently converted to the use of Chobe ventures
Consequently in the interest of Justice, the court should grant the application and temporarily forfeit the property to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
In his ruling the presiding judge, Saliu Seidu ordered that the property should be temporarily forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The presiding judge also directed that the order should be published in a National Daily Newspaper for any interested person to come forward within 14 days of the publication to show cause while the property should not be permanently be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
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