- EFCC has secured a court order to place 38 houses allegedly owned by Ngozi Olojeme under interim forfeiture
- The agency has also secured a court order to detain her for two weeks for questioning
- Ngosi Olojeme is a former chairman of NSITF and deputy chairman of the finance committee of the Goodluck Campaign Organisation in 2015
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has traced 38 choice houses to a former chairman of the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) and deputy chairman of the finance committee of the Goodluck Campaign Organisation in 2015, Dr. Ngozi Olojeme, the Nation reports.
NAIJ.com gathered that Olojeme was being investigated by the EFCC for alleged diversion of $48,485,127 from the accounts of the NSITF.
Olojeme is alleged to have embezzled $48,485,127 out of N62.3billion fraud discovered in NSITF.
According to the Nation, EFCC has secured a court order to place the 38 houses traced to Olojeme under interim forfeiture, pending her trial.
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The agency said it has also obtained a warrant from the court to detain the Olojeme for two weeks to complete the first round of the investigation and her arraignment.
A source, who spoke to the Nation in confidence, said: “EFCC recovered over 40 properties out of which 38 belong to the ex-NSITF chairman, including the property at No. 51, Kainji Crescent, off Lake Chad Crescent in Maitama District.
“The Kainji Crescent property is said to have housed some foreign leaders when they came visiting. It is a multi-billion naira mansion.
“We have invoked sections 28 and 34 of the EFCC (Establishment Act) 2004 and Section 13(1) of the Federal High Court Act, 2004, which empower the agency to apply the Interim Assets Forfeiture Clause.”
Section 28 of the EFCC Act reads: “Where a person is arrested for an offence under this Act, the Commission shall immediately trace and attach all the assets and properties of the person acquired as a result of such economic or financial crime and shall thereafter cause to be obtained an interim attachment order from the Court.”
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The EFCC source further said: “As I am talking to you, we have placed all the over 40 assets under interim forfeiture based on the approval of our application by the court. The assets will be temporarily forfeited until the end of the trial of all the affected suspects.”
“We have also secured a court order to detain her for two weeks in preparation for Dr. Ngozi Olojeme’s arraignment in connection with the alleged diversion of $48,485,127 from NSITF’s account. We have charges already prepared and we will be arraigning her soon.
“But she sought for medical attention in a private hospital for an undisclosed illness. We accorded her the right to seek medical aid and deployed in detectives and sentry guards to the hospital.”
NAIJ.com earlier reported that Olojeme was arrested by operatives of the EFCC.
Olojeme had been declared wanted by the EFCC in June, for allegedly diverting N69 billion from the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, where she served as chairman from 2009 to 2015.
NAIJ.com gathered that shortly after her sacking by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, the suspect was said to have fled the country.
She finally reported at the anti-graft agency on Monday, December 18, and was detained afterwards.
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Source: Naija.ng
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