A Federal High Court in Abuja has established a case of fraud against the proprietor of NOK University based in Kaduna and granted an order seizing the asset of the institution.
The order was granted on Wednesday June 1, 2022 by Justice Zainab Abubakar in a prosecution brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission alleging that the owner, who was a former Director of Finance and Administration, Mr Anthony Hassan built the University with proceeds of crime.
The embattled ex-Director of Finance and Accounts, DFA, worked in the Federal Ministry of Health, where he was said to have stole billions or naira.
He accused served as a Director of Finance and Administration between 2016 and 2019 and became stupendously wealthy within three years far above his legitimate income and other allowances due to him.
Other physical assets of the University forfeited include Senate building, ICT building, Faculty of Medicine building, Science Deanery building, two Academic buildings, a Faculty Hall and other buildings.
Other properties traced to Hassan which are also forfeited in the interim are Gwasmyen Water Factory, Gwasmyen Event Center and Gwasmyen International Hotel in Kaduna.
Justice Zainab Abubakar ruled on a motion ex-parte brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
In his argument before Justice Abubakar, the EFCC’a lawyer, Ekele Iheanacho told the court that the EFCC sought the order “pursuant to Section 44(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 14, 2006 and under the inherent Jurisdiction of the Honorable Court”.
An investigative officer of the anti-graft agency, Adaora Asabe Oragudosi submitted that there was conspiracy, stealing, abuse of office and money laundering against some staff of the Federal Ministry of Health where the properties ordered forfeited were traced to the defendant.
In the ruling, the court directed that the interim forfeiture order be published in the National dailies, alerting anyone with interest in the properties to show cause, within 14 days, why it should not be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
