Imported User:
An Abuja High Court yesterday granted leave to the EFCC to seize 108 properties belonging to the six accused persons involved in the alleged diversion of N32.8 billion police pension fund.
The EFCC had preferred 16-count charge against a permanent secretary, Atiku Kigo, and other accused persons - Esai Dangabar, Ahmed Wada, John Yusufu, Veronica Onyegbula and Sani Zira.
The EFCC had accused them of alleged complicity in the illegal diversion of the N32.8 billion pension fund. But all the accused had pleaded not guilty.
Lawyer to the EFCC Mr Rotimi Jacobs had filed an application before the court seeking leave of the court to seize the 108 properties allegedly belonging to the accused persons.
The anti-graft agency had, in pursuant of Section 28 of the EFCC Act 2004, attached the list of all the assets belonging to Kigo, Dangabar, Wada, Yusufu, Onyegbula and Zira in the motion.
In his ruling on the application, Justice Lawal Gummi granted the interim order for the seizure of the properties alleged to be scattered all over Nigeria.
The anti-graft agency said earlier that the accused persons perfected the alleged fraud in Abuja between January 2009 and June 2011.
The EFCC alleged that the six accused persons had conspired and sequentially withdrawn monies from the Police Pension Fund in an account domiciled at First Bank of Nigeria and shared same among themselves.
According to the EFCC, the offence against the accused borders on conspiracy, fraud and criminal breach of trust and punishable under sections 97, 315, 115(ii), 119 and 309, of the Penal Code Act Cap. 532, Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria 2007.
The case has been adjourned to May 28 for continuation of hearing.
The accused, all civil servants, have since been suspended by the Federal Civil Service Commission.
