Court orders final forfeiture of hotel linked to former NOUN VC

Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of former Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria, Prof Vincent Tenebe, of his multi-million naira Sunflower Hotel Ltd in Kaduna State, which is under the Federal Government. State.

The order, issued Tuesday and reviewed by FIST Monday followed a motion for declaratory motion for final confiscation of property filed on June 21 and moved by FO Dibang, counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

In his decision, Justice Ekwo said, “It is hereby ordered that the property in the possession of the defendant and set out in the annexed list, property reasonably suspected to have been obtained from illegal activities, shall be forfeited to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The court had issued an interim protection order for the hotel on February 16 and directed the EFCC to publish this decision in a national newspaper within 14 days and to announce on that newspaper’s website all persons or entities with claims regarding the property.

According to the affidavit of Dare Opeyemi, an EFCC officer in the Economic Management Division, the EFCC received intelligence in December 2022 regarding conspiracy, theft, diversion of public funds and criminal breach of trust involving the former Chairman of the Delta State Board, Monday Onyeme. Adamu Danlami, in-charge of the Internal Revenue Service and former deputy of NOUN and owner of Crossbill International Ltd, is currently at large.

The investigation revealed that Onyeme, while serving as NOUN bursar, conspired with other staff to divert funds to companies owned by him, and that Crossbill International Ltd received a significant share of these diverted funds.

It was also revealed that Crossbill International Ltd had transferred money to various entities, including Wanone Investment Ltd, Tanadi Ltd, Namutane Foundation and Sunflower Hotel Ltd, using funds embezzled from NOUN.

To prove its case, the EFCC included account statements of Blacksnow Ltd, Eno Global Services Nigeria Ltd and Crossbill International Ltd showing transfers and withdrawals.

During the investigation, EFCC discovered that all the entities mentioned in the affidavit were linked to Prof Vincent Ado Tenebe.

Evidence showed that N275,081,896.09 traced to Tenebe’s account financed the construction of Sunflower Hotel Ltd, an initially unfinished structure, which he purchased from his brother-in-law Yakubu Mamman Akhagbeme in Kaduna.

Further findings showed that Prof Tenebe was not a director or shareholder of Sunflower Hotel Ltd, but used supposedly misappropriated funds from NOUN to purchase and complete the hotel.

According to Corporate Affairs Commission documents, it was determined that the company executives did not own the hotel.

In accordance with the court’s interim order, the EFCC issued the notification and submitted its declaration of compliance on March 5.

At the time of publication, no person, organization or institution objected to the ownership of the hotel.

In its motion for final forfeiture notice, the EFCC argued that it was imperative to end the forfeiture in the public interest by allowing the Federal Government to assume full control and management of the property on behalf of the National Open University.

In the case marked FHC/ABJ/CS/33/2024, the hotel is located at Sunflower Crescent, Unguwan Maigero Road, Narayi, Kaduna State and listed the EFCC as the applicant and Sunflower Hotel Ltd as the defendant.