Two houses of the former senate president of Nigeria, Dr. Bukola Saraki in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara state have been forfeited owing to an order given by a federal high court in Lagos.
The forfeiture order was given by Justice Rilwan Aikawa in reaction to a filed application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
WITHIN NIGERIA learnt that the forfeited houses are located at plots 10 and 11 Abdulkadir Road, GRA, Ilorin.
The former Governor of Kwara state had earlier raised an alarm that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was making moves after his properties after they were issued court order to stop them.
Barely five days after the alarm, another development has ensued in and a forfeiture order has been granted by another court.
Recall that Dr. Bukola Saraki who once served as a two-term governor of Kwara state is currently under investigation by the anti-graft agency in which he was accused of withdrawing over N12 billion cash from the account of the Kwara government and paid same into his accounts domiciled in Access and Zenith Banks through one of his personal assistant, Abdul Adama.
The EFCC told the court it uncovered monumental fraud in the treasury of Kwara when Saraki governed the state.
An operative of the EFCC identified as Olamide Sadiq disclosed in an affidavit filed in support of an ex parte application that the move for the forfeiture of the houses followed the findings of the EFCC after investigation.
He said: “Whilst the investigation was ongoing several fraudulent transactions were discovered. I know for a fact and verily believe that our investigation has revealed the following mind-boggling findings, among others:
“That between 2003 and 2011, Dr Olubukola Abubakar Saraki was the Executive Governor of Kwara State. That whilst he held the aforementioned position, the common pattern was that after payment of monthly allocation by the Federal Government to the Kwara State Government, a cumulative sum of not less than N100m will be deposited into the Kwara Government House account.
“That upon the payment of the said N100m, same will, in turn, be withdrawn in cash by one Mr Afeez Yusuf from the Kwara State Government House, Ilorin’s account in bits and brought to the Government House.”
The EFCC said it believed that Saraki acquired the two properties with proceeds of unlawful activities.
