FG asks court to stop sale of Ekweremadu’s properties

The Federal Government has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to restrain Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu from further selling off his properties under investigation.

In a counter affidavit in response to Ekweremadu’s motion on notice, the government alleged that the deputy Senate president has sold off two of his three undeclared properties in There is tension at the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) over the return of a retired former acting secretary of the bureau, Mrs Abiodun Folashade Kolawole.

Kolawole was the Director of Finance and Administration at the CCB, when she also acted as secretary.

A letter to the Presidency, signed by one Usman Mohammed, on behalf of the Chairman of the bureau, disclosed that in February, 2017, the board of the CCB introduced a Standard Operation Procedure (SOP), which was approved by the President Muhammadu Buhari.

The letter said Kolawole rejected the SOP and wrote to the board raising concerns with the document, because no role was defined for staff.

In turn, the board according Kissimmee, Florida, USA in a bid to avoid forfeiting them to government.

FG had in a motion exparte sought an order of temporary forfeiture of 22 properties allegedly linked to Ekweremadu, where it was alleged that he failed to declare the properties in his asset declaration form with the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). However, Ekweremadu filed the motion on notice before the court to stop the forfeiture.

In the counter affidavit deposed to by one Yohanna Shankuk, a clerk to the letter took exception to her objection, and queried Kolawole, who was also directed to proceed on suspension.

“She did not contest the suspension letter and the board approved her voluntary retirement. Consequent upon this, her repatriation allowance was processed and paid,” the letter said.

Daily Trust gathered that on the June 19, 2017, Kolawole went to the office of the acting chairman of the bureau, Mr Ngusha Agom-Tor to inform him that she was set to resume work.

Daily Trust also sighted correspondences, wherein the Secretary to the Government of Federation ordered resumption of Mrs Kolawole as acting secretary of the CCB.

The situation has led to division among staff of the bureau with the staff union presently threatening to shut down the offices. in the Chambers of Festus Keyamo (SAN) FG said the properties, which were bought in 2008 for $200,000 each were put on the market in January and sold for $150,000 to the same buyer on February 20, 2018.

FG further prayed the court to grant the application to enable the Special Presidential Investigation panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP) to also investigate the alleged buyers.

Justice Binta Nyako has adjourned the matter to June 5 for hearing.