Civil servant loses N124.5m property to FG

A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, sitting in Zuba, has ordered the final forfeiture of property worth N124.5 million illegally acquired by a Principal Accountant in the Finance and Accounts Department of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Daniel Obah, to the Federal Government.

Obah, who was charged before Justice E. O. Ebong, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), was accused of fraudulently acquiring a four-bedroom duplex in Abuja and plots of land in Rivers State.

Counsel to ICPC, John-Paul Okwor, told the court that the Commission relied on Section 48 (2) (3) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000, which empowers it to obtain a ruling of forfeiture of seized assets acquired by individuals through corrupt means.

ICPC had argued that Obah and two other staff of the Ministry, Poloma Kabiru Nuhu and Mangset Longyl Dickson allegedly carried out a coordinated fraud within the Ministry resulting in the withdrawal of N605 million from its 2014 Constituency Projects account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The forfeited assets, which also included a Toyota Camry car and 2013 Honda Accord, were acquired from proceeds of the fraud.