Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court 9, Abuja on Wednesday, December 18, 2019 ordered the final forfeiture of ₦131,337,800.00 (One Hundred and Thirty-One Million, Three Hundred and Thirty-seven Thousand Eight Hundred Naira) and properties valued at about ₦600, 000,000 (Six Hundred Million Naira) to the federal government.
The judgement followed non-conviction-based proceedings in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1054/2018, brought by counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Adeola Olarenwaju against Biliki Fatolu and eight others, seven of whom were staff of the Federal Ministry of Power, who criminally acquired the sums and properties from the finances of ministry.
The forfeited sums, stolen from the ministry were transferred to bank accounts of 16 companies incorporated by Mrs. Dada Oluwaseun Opeyemi, wife of Mr. Dada Mathew Olugbenga, deputy director, Finance, Ministry of Power. She was also discovered to be a director in 13 of the said companies. The fraudulent payments resulted in her arrest and that of some officials of the ministry, who included: Mr. Dada Olugbenga, (her husband), Mr. Abdullahi Aminu Hamcheta, Mr. Ogbonna Nwachukwu, Mrs. Bilikisu Fatolu and Mr Elijah Ajewole Edubi.
Defendants in the matter included: Bilikisu Fatolu, Fatolu Shuaib Gbolahan, I.I. Ikwuegbu, Nwachukwu Ogbonna, Elvic Hotel (belonging to Elijah Ajewole), Abdullahi Hamcheta, Shamia Exclusive International Ltd, Abdullahi Abubakar Danburam and Dada Mathew Olugbenga.
