Alleged $48.4m fraud: Court seizes 38 houses from ex-NSITF boss

A Federal High Court has ordered the interim forfeiture of more than 38 assets and properties traced to a former Chairman of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Dr. Ngozi Olojeme.

Olojeme  is said to have travelled oversees to avoid prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The suspect has two outstanding cases with EFCC, including alleged diversion of $48,485,127 from the N62.3billion in NSITF accounts between 2009 and 2015.

She is also being investigated for allegedly defrauding a businessman, Prince Arthur Eze, of $2.8million and N240million.

She had borrowed the $2.8million and N240million to contest for the Peoples Democratic Party’s gubernatorial ticket as an aspirant in Delta State in 2014.

The account from which she collected the N240million had no Bank Verification Number (BVN).

She was operating 50 accounts with different names in various banks and links with five companies.

The companies are Able -Jes Nigeria Ltd; Juliand Nig. Ltd; Majesty Mining and Construction Company Ltd; and Fresh Energy Limited.

A statement by the Acting Head of Media and Publicity of EFCC, Mr. Tony Orilade, said the agency approached the Federal High Court, Abuja for interim forfeiture of Olojeme’s assets.

The statement said the court presided over by Justice Ijeoma L. Ojukwu granted the interim order on Friday.

The statement said: “A Federal High Court has ordered the interim forfeiture of more than 38 assets and properties traced to a former chairman of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF.

“Justice Ojukwu granted the application and ruled that ‘an order is hereby made attaching/forfeiting in the interim, all assets and properties set out in the schedule attached to this application, to the Federal Government of Nigeria, pending the hearing and determination of the trial in Charge No. CR/365/17’.

“The order was made sequel to an ex-parte Originating Summons filed by the EFCC through its counsel, Elizabeth Alabi, on December 12, 2018, praying the court for the following orders:

“An order of interim attachment/forfeiture of the asset attachment of the properties set out in the schedule attached herein”.

“An order stopping any disposal, conveyance, mortgage, lease, sale or alienation or otherwise of the properties/assets described in the schedule attached herein.”

“The schedule of properties referred to in the Summons include: parcels of land, duplexes, a bank building, and hotel buildings, amongst others.

Some of them are: one storey semi-detached residential building located at house/flat 86, 11 Crescent, Kado Estate, Abuja; a fenced plot of land with C of O No. DTSR16326 located at plots 104 and 105, Block IV, Phase V, Core Area, Asaba, Delta State; six units of one-bedroom apartment; one unit of five-bedroom bungalow; a block of six units of office space, all located at 196, Melford Okilo Road, Amarata-Epie, Yenegoa, Bayelsa State.

“Others include: one duplex and four house residential building with swimming pool, gate house, fully furnished with state of the art facilities, located at No. 25 Kainji Crescent, off Maitama, Abuja. This same property is also known as plot No. 738 Cadastral Zone AO5, Maitama, Abuja; A storey building; two bungalows; printing press with printing equipment; a fenced empty land measuring 1422.765 square meters, located at km.9 Asaba-Benin Express road, Asaba, Delta State.

“Another property is a twin duplex office building, located at Plot R/151 (No. 30A) Kingsway Road, Old GRA, Enugu State, registered at Enugu Land Registry.

“The Commission, through the application, also sought for the interim forfeiture of two duplexes with boys quarters, generator house, gym and car park, located at No. 3D Opolo, Old Commissioner’s Quarters, Yenegoa, Bayelsa State; Ten plots of land, located at plot 7, 8, 11, 12, 16, 20, 23, and 24 Phase IV, Block 111, Core Area, Asaba, Delta State, with C of O No. DSTR1194; A two-bedroom bungalow, located at No. 3 Ogwa Godspower Avenue, Oshimili South LGA, Asaba, Delta State; A two-bedroom bungalow located at No. 11, Chiweta Street, off Ezenie Avenue, Asaba, Delta State, measuring 527.141 square meters; a two-bedroom bungalow, located at James Odittah Street, Oshimili LGA, Asaba, Delta State, amongst many others.”