It’s stuff that Hollywood is made of but sadly it’s true. A civil servant owns at least 86 brand new luxury vehicles 23 of which are said to be armoured. Well, he’s kissing them goodbye to the federal government as the court orders him to forfeit them.
He’s also ordered to forfeit four houses and a quarry plant thanks to the order by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Apo, Abuja.
The order of forfeiture though is temporary pending the outcome of the investigation and the determination of the case.
The affected civil servant is one Mr Ibrahim Tumsah, the Director of Finance and Account in the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing. He’s on a salary of less than N500,000 per month and yet acquired the assets between 2016 and 2017. His brother is also a co-defendant.
The houses are located in choice areas of Abuja: two are located in Wuse II; one in Wuse Zone 7, and the other in Jabi. While the quarry is situated in Kuje, Abuja.
Also affected by the court order are eight containers. One of the containers is said to be empty while the rest were said to have contained items like mattresses, cables, Honda Bike 4 Wheel, among others.
The 86 vehicles, the landed assets and the other items were said to have been found on November 17, 2017, in a warehouse located on the premises of the house at 22 Igbani Street, Jabi, Abuja, according to the Punch. Court papers indicate that Justice Muawiyah Idris of the FCT High Court made the interim forfeiture orders on December 6, 2017.
The judge made the orders following an ex parte application filed on November 23, 2017, by the recently constituted Special Investigation Panel on the Recovery of Public Property on behalf of the Federal Government. The panel is chaired by the Special Assistant to the President on Prosecutions, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla.
The judge granted the interim forfeiture order after the panel’s lawyer, Rimamsomte Ezekiel, argued the ex parte motion on December 6, 2017.
The court, in its ruling, granted the orders authorising the panel “to freeze” all the items listed in the schedule attached to the ex parte motion “pending full investigation on the serious criminal allegations that were brought against the respondents” – Tumsah and brother, Tijjani Tumsah.
But the judge also ordered that the panel’s ongoing investigation must be completed within three months.
He then adjourned until March 6, 2018.
More on this story on Punch website.
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