Court orders final forfeiture of asset linked to ex-NOUN VC
Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of the multi-million-naira Sunflower Hotel Ltd in Kaduna State, linked to former Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria, Prof. Vincent Tenebe, to the Federal Government.
The order, issued last Tuesday and reviewed on Monday, followed a motion on notice for final forfeiture of the property, filed on June 21 and moved by F.O. Dibang, counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In his ruling, Justice Ekwo declared, “Order is hereby made forfeiting the property set out in the attached schedule, found in possession of the respondent, as properties reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities, to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The court had, on 16 February, granted an interim preservation order for the hotel and directed the EFCC to publicise the order within 14 days in a national newspaper and on its website to notify any individuals or bodies with claims on the property to come forward.
According to an affidavit by Dare Opeyemi, an EFCC operative in the Economic Governance Section, the EFCC received intelligence in December 2022 concerning conspiracy, theft, diversion of public funds, and criminal breach of trust involving Monday Onyeme, former Chairman of the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue and former Bursar of NOUN, and Adamu Danlami, owner of Crossbill International Ltd, both currently at large.
The investigation revealed that Onyeme, while serving as NOUN Bursar, conspired with other staff to divert funds to companies where he held interests, with Crossbill International Ltd receiving a significant share of these diverted funds.
It was further uncovered that Crossbill International Ltd, using funds misappropriated from NOUN, transferred money to various entities, including Wanone Investment Ltd, Tanadi Ltd, Namutane Foundation, and Sunflower Hotel Ltd.
To substantiate its case, the EFCC included account statements from Blacksnow Ltd, Eno Global Services Nigeria Ltd, and Crossbill International Ltd, showing transfers and withdrawals.
During the investigation, the EFCC discovered that all entities named in the affidavit were connected to Prof. Vincent Ado Tenebe. Evidence showed that N275,081,896.09, traced to Tenebe’s account, funded the construction of Sunflower Hotel Ltd, an initially incomplete structure he acquired from his brother-in-law, Yakubu Mamman Akhagbeme, in Kaduna.
Further findings indicated that Prof. Tenebe was neither a director nor shareholder of Sunflower Hotel Ltd but used funds presumed misappropriated from NOUN to acquire and complete the hotel. The company’s directors, according to Corporate Affairs Commission documents, were found not to own the hotel.
In compliance with the court’s interim order, the EFCC published the notice on 5 March and filed an affidavit of compliance. No individual, organisation, or institution contested ownership of the hotel during the publication period.
In the motion on notice for final forfeiture, the EFCC argued that it is imperative, in the public interest, to finalise the forfeiture, allowing the Federal Government to take full control and management of the property on behalf of the National Open University.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/33/2024, lists the EFCC as the applicant and Sunflower Hotel Ltd as the respondent, with the hotel situated at Sunflower Crescent, Unguwan Maigero Road, Narayi, Kaduna State.
Proofreading by Uchechi Ojo, Sub-editor at NeptunePrime.
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