September 23, 2022

Justice Fadima Murtala Aminu of the Federal High Court sitting in Damaturu, Yobe State has ordered the interim forfeiture of eleven landed properties, in Damaturu metropolis, belonging to Alhaji Idris Yahaya, the Auditor General of all the Local Government Areas, LGAs, of Yobe State.

In a statement on Thursday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, She gave the order on Wednesday, September 21, 2022, following an ex parte application filed by the Maiduguri Zonal Command seeking an interim forfeiture of the properties.

EFCC counsel, Mukhtar Ali Ahmed, told the court that Yahaya had some landed properties suspected to be proceeds of crime, owing to an alleged criminal diversion of public funds, abuse of office and money laundering reported to the Commission.

A petitioner alleged that the suspect enriched himself by putting ghost workers into the payroll of LGAs in Yobe State and acquired landed properties from the proceeds of the crime.

“Investigation by the EFCC showed that the suspect diverted huge sums of money from the coffers of Yobe LGAs and illegally acquired the following properties:

Farsawa Plaza opposite First Bank of Nigeria Limited, along Gashua road, Damaturu, a mega plaza opposite Central Bank of Nigeria complex, situated along Gujba Road, Damaturu. Others are: 20 units of self-contained, four units of single rooms self-contained and two units of rooms and parlor self-contained apartments, situated opposite the Central Bank of Nigeria Complex, along Gujba road, Damaturu.