Ladipo Sanusi/
Two Military officers and their three companies have been asked to forfeit N200million to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
A Federal High Court, in Lagos, today, ordered that the money fraudulently warehoused in some commercial banks should be temporarily forfeited, pending the outcome of the investigation on it.
The money, according to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was fraudulently withdrawn from the Defense Headquarters overhead expenses accounts by the two officers and their companies.
The officers involved are Adamu Bello Argungu and John Onimisi Ozigi, while their companies are Falsal & Co Global Services Nigeria Limited, Diamond Head Ventures & Development Company Limited, and Sweetex Bureau De Change Limited.
Justice Sule Hassan ordered that the money, in the interim, should be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria, pending the conclusion of the investigation, after listening to the submissions of Mr Nkereuwem Mark Anana, the EFCC lawyer, who moved an ex-parte application for the order.
The EFCC attached with the ex-parte application marked FHC/L/CS/1094/18, an 18-paragraph affidavit, two exhibits and a written address.
In an affidavit deposed to by one of its operative, Clever Ibrahim, the EFCC averred that the military officers are of the Nigerian Army and Air Force respectively and that they made several unauthorized withdrawals from the Defense Headquarters Overhead Expenses Account.
The deponent also stated that the money was deposited not in their salary accounts, nor the accounts belonging to the Defense headquarters, but in corporate accounts and other accounts belonging to their companies.
He further stated that the accounts where the said money was warehoused are domiciled in Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) account number 0142893798; 0229980366; 0023038546; 0023038553; 00223038539; 0052260716 and 0023673121, belonging to Adamu Bello Argungu and Falsal & Co Gloval Services Limited, and Skye Bank Plc with account numbers: 1060118510 and 4010007344 belonging to John Onimisi Ozigi and his company, Diamond Head Ventures & Development Limited.
He also stated that parts of the money were kept in First City Monument Bank (FCMB) account numbers 3584478019 and 3584478026 belonging to Sweetex Bureau De Change Limited and yet another account with 1010260044, 1010399694 and 1000468142 belonging to Diamond Head Ventures.
Furthermore, the deponent stated that John Onimisi Ozigi and his company, Diamond Head Ventures & Development Company Limited kept parts of their money in Skye Bank Plc’s account numbers: 1060118510 and 4010007344 respectively.
He also stated that a post-no-debit have been placed on the accounts by the provision of section 6(5) of the Money Laundering and Prohibition Act, 2011, which had lapsed after 72 hours, and that the order of the interim forfeiture was sought to debar the respondents from tampering with the money.
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