Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the permanent forfeiture of the multi-million-naira Sunflower Hotel Ltd in Kaduna State, connected to former National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN, Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Vincent Tenebe.
This ruling, made last on October 22 and made available to journalists on Monday follows a June motion filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, who allege the hotel was acquired with misappropriated funds from NOUN.
Justice Ekwo declared that the hotel was “reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities” and, as such, must be surrendered to the Federal Government. Previously, the court had granted an interim forfeiture order, instructing the EFCC to publicize the decision to allow any claimants to come forward. With no contestations filed, the final forfeiture was granted.
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According to EFCC documents, the investigation disclosed that funds were allegedly diverted by Monday Onyeme, former NOUN Bursar, and transferred to entities linked to Tenebe, including Sunflower Hotel. Court documents indicate that Tenebe reportedly used N275 million, suspected to be NOUN funds, to complete the hotel’s construction after acquiring it from his brother-in-law, Yakubu Mamman Akhagbeme. While Tenebe was neither listed as a director nor shareholder, EFCC records suggest he managed the property through intermediaries.
The EFCC argued for the forfeiture in the public interest, aiming to return control of the property to the Federal Government on behalf of NOUN.
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