EFCC Operatives
Kwara Official
EFCC Operatives
Kwara Official Forfeits N150m Plaza in
Ilorin
The Ilorin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC has secured the final forfeiture of “Asmau Plaza”,
valued at about N150million, traced to Rasaq Momonu, Controller,
Finance and Account, Kwara State Government House, which is
believed to be proceeds of crime.
The order of final forfeiture of the plaza, located at
University Road, Tanke Area, Ilorin, was given by Justice Sikiru
Oyinloye of a Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin, on August
1, 2019 following an application brought before the court by the
EFCC seeking for its forfeiture.
Moving the motion, dated July 19, 2019, Nnaemeka Omewa, counsel
for the EFCC, urged the court to grant the prayer for final
forfeiture, pursuant to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and
other Fraud Related Offences.
“I urge the Court to grant the motion,” he said.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Oyinloye granted the application
and resolved all the issues raised in favour of the EFCC, noting
that the EFCC fulfilled all the necessary requirements.
Justice Oyinloye held that: “I have gone through the application
brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, I also
sighted the hearing notice issued to the respondent in the suit,
Rasaq Momonu. This Honourable Court is persuaded that he had been
served with the Court Processes.
“The application brought by the EFCC is meritorious and granted;
this Honourable Court hereby orders the final forfeiture of the
landed property known as Asmau Plaza, Tanke Road, Ilorin, Kwara
State to the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
It will be recalled that Momonu is facing money laundering
charges before Justice Babangana Ashigar of the Federal High Court,
sitting in Ilorin, and is expected back in court on September 25,
2019.
In an affidavit deposed to by Musa Gidado, an investigating
officer with the EFCC, Momonu is alleged of being complicit in the
diversion of state funds.
Gidado said: “Investigations revealed that Rasaq Momonu used his
influence as Accountant with Kwara State Government to award and
inflate contracts for the construction of two classrooms at
Ogbondoroko and Obanisuwa Community in Kwara State.
“Investigations further revealed that the respondent who is a
Civil Servant that earns less than N100,000 in a month cannot
afford to build the house known as Asmau Plaza between 2010
-2012.
“That I know as a fact that the respondent was confronted with
the above findings by the applicant which he did not dispute and
has agreed to forfeit the property known as Asmau Plaza to the
Federal Government of Nigeria.”
Tony Orilade
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity
August 1, 2019