The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday, April 24, handed over 14 properties initially forfeited to the Federal Government and now ceded to the government and people of Enugu State.
In a statement, the anti-graft commission said the transfer of the properties to Enugu State governor, Dr Peter Mbah, was performed by the Executive Chairman of EFCC, Mr Ola Olukoyede at the commission’s corporate headquarters.
According to the EFCC, the properties comprise houses, transmission equipment for radio and television stations, a building for medical operations, among others.
The commission noted that the forfeited properties were recovered from a former governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani.
Speaking before the brief handover ceremony, Olukoyede who disclosed that the road to the forfeiture dated back to 2007, stated that the event spoke of the mutually beneficial relationship existing between the Federal Government and states.
“What we are witnessing today testifies to a symbiotic relationship that should exist between the federal government and the state governments. The essence of our meeting here today is for us to handover properties that were forfeited to the federal government, which of course belong to Enugu State people back to the people. It shows that governance can work in Nigeria. Our people deserve the benefits of good governance and that is what is being evidenced here today.
He added, “If you look at the history of this particular matter, it takes us back to 2007 when we started the prosecution. So, we are looking at about 17 years since the matter has been on.
“Eventually some of the properties were forfeited and since then, the EFCC has been managing those properties even though the titles of quite a number of the properties have been revoked by the Enugu State Government. What we are witnessing here today is the official handing over of the properties to the people of Enugu State through His Excellency, Dr Peter Mbah,” Olukoyede said.
Earlier in his remarks, Governor Mbah expressed gratitude for the handover and thanked the EFCC chair and the commission for ensuring that the people of his state reclaimed their common patrimony.
“I would like to express my profound gratitude for the event we are witnessing today. The importance and significance of this event can never be lost on us and we do not also take it for granted. So I want to take this opportunity to convey my profound gratitude and deep appreciation to the chairman and members of the EFCC team that have brought us to where we are today.
“This is a journey that began several years ago and we are marking a formal closure to that journey here today. A journey that saw the successful prosecution of certain companies in possession of assets belonging to the people of Enugu State,” he said.
The governor who noted that the properties were forfeited not to his state but to the Federal Government expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for making it possible for them to be returned to the government and people of Enugu State.
“Those assets were forfeited to the federal government. And this brings me to another gratitude that I want to convey here today. I want to acknowledge and recognize the important role played by the President, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Without the proactiveness and speed at which he acted on our request to cede these assets back to the people and government of Enugu State, we wouldn’t have been here today. So I want to thank him most sincerely for granting our request for these assets that were forfeited to the federal government to be ceded back to Enugu State,” the governor stated.
The Enugu governor lauded Olukoyede’s initiatives at making the EFCC a strong institution and cautioned against attempts by some individuals to distract the commission.
“I will not end this remark without acknowledging the work the EFCC chairman is doing in strengthening this very important institution. It is important that we do not weaken our institutions. Whatever we do in governance is transient. So I want to commend him for the efforts he is making in ensuring that this very important institution, the EFCC is strengthened. Thank you very much for all the great work you and your team are doing and particularly for the effort that you have put in to make today a reality,” the governor stated.
Justice Mohammed Yinusa of the Federal High Court, Lagos on July 8, 2015, convicted four companies associated with former Governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani and ordered that their properties be forfeited to the Federal Government.
The four companies are Rainbownet Nigeria Limited, Cosmos FM, Capital City Automobile Nigeria Limited and Renaissance University Teaching Hospital.
The companies had on May 19, 2015, pleaded guilty to a 10-count amended charge brought against them by the EFCC.
