court
Judiciary
Money-Laundering: Naira
court
Judiciary
Money-Laundering: Naira Note Sellers Forfeit
N354,000
Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of a Federal High Court, Abuja, has
ordered the final forfeiture of N354, 000 (Three Hundred and Fifty
Four Thousand Naira) only which was uncovered by operatives of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, during
investigations into the N49 million intercepted at the Kaduna
International Airport on March 13, 2017.
Oyebanji Steve, Taiye Omoniyi Oluwaleke, Risikat Taimiyu
Titilayo, Fausat Oni, and Joshua Kisabo had laid claim to the N49
million and challenged the confiscation of the money by the
EFCC.
During further investigation, one of the claimants led a team of
operatives to Deidei, a suburb in Abuja, the Federal Capital
Territory, where in the process of executing a search, some thugs
had attacked operatives; but the attack was repelled by police
officers on the team.
Subsequently, a bag containing the N354,000 was uncovered,
abandoned by some persons suspected to be engaging in unlawful
selling of new naira notes. The money was made up of N200 and N50
notes (mint) abandoned at the scene, which was confiscated and
taken to the Kaduna office of the EFCC.
Since the seizure, nobody has come to claim the money. Hence, it
was suspected to be proceeds of crime.
On March 13, 2018, Justice Dimgba granted an interim forfeiture
order of the said amount following an ex parte motion filed by the
EFCC.
Consequently, the EFCC moved a motion on notice for the final
forfeiture of the money, having published the interim forfeiture
order in the national newspapers, as ordered by the Court.
In his ruling on January 21, 2019, Justice Dimgba granted the
final forfeiture of the money to the Federal Government.
In another development, EFCC, Ibadan zonal office, on January
22, 2019 re-arraigned Adeshina Taoheed Aderemi, Adekoya Abosede,
and Ishola Abiodun Kazeem before Justice A. Olajide of the Oyo
State High Court, sitting in Iyaganku, Ibadan, on an amended
nine-count charge bordering on forgery, uttering and obtaining
money by false pretence.
The defendants were earlier arraigned on August 30, 2018 before
Justice R.B. Akintola of the state’s High Court on a seven-count
charge bordering on forgery, uttering and obtaining money by false
pretence.
One of the counts reads: “That you, Adeshina Taoheed Aderemi,
Adekoya Abosede, Ishola Abiodun Kazeem and Odejobi Yussuf Olatunji
(at large) sometimes in 2018 at Ibadan within the Ibadan Judicial
Division with intent to defraud, obtained N250, 000 from Adesina
Idowu falsely pretending that it was the cost price of Canadian
Visa you have secured for him and thereby committed an
offence”.
They pleaded “not guilty” to the charges.
Prosecuting counsel, A.I. Suleman, thereafter, applied for a
trial date.
However, the defence counsel, Samuel C. Uzoelu, prayed the court
to allow the second and third defendants continue on the earlier
bail granted them by Justice Akintola, and told the court that he
had filed a bail application for the first defendant, which was yet
to be served on the prosecution.
Justice Olajide granted the second and third defendants bail on
the same conditions earlier granted them on August 30, 2018, but
ordered that the first defendant should be remanded in Agodi
Prison, pending the hearing of his application.
The case has been adjourned to March 7, 2019 for “trial and
hearing of the first defendant’s bail application”.
Tony Orilade
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity