The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) handed over the documents of properties and 324 houses recovered on behalf of Kano State pensioners to them, yesterday. The handing over of the houses by the Abuja Zonal Command of the EFCC followed a final forfeiture order granted by Justice I.E. Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja. A statement by the Head of Media and Publicity of the commission, Dele Oyewale, said the court’s order was a result of successful investigations carried out on alleged N4.1 billion fraud. The statement said: “Findings by the EFCC showed that the state government entered into a tripartite agreement with the Kano State Pension Trust Fund to build housing estates for an aggregate sum of N41 billion (Forty-One Billion Naira), out of which the Pension Trust Fund was to contribute N4.1 billion (Four billion one hundred million naira).
However, the contribution of the pensioners was used to build the houses in three estates located in Sheikh Ja’afar Mahmud Adam Bandirawo City, Sheikh Nasiru Kabara (Amana) City and Sheikh Khalifa Ishaq Rabiu City, all in Kano State. Two former governors of the state fraudulently discounted and sold the houses to their cronies and associates, leaving the pension trustees with low budget and uncompleted houses. The EFCC stepped in and upon completion of investigation, filed for and acquired a final forfeiture order of the 324 properties to the Kano State Pension Fund Trustees. While handing over the documents of the 324 properties worth N4.1 billion to the pensioners yesterday, the Abuja Zonal Commander of the EFCC, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, Adeniyi Adebayo assured that the EFCC would continue to do its best to rid the nation of fraudulent practices.”
