Court orders interim forfeiture of funds linked to Lagos speaker, Obasa

 

A federal high court in Lagos has granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) temporary forfeiture of funds linked to Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa, speaker of the Lagos house of assembly.

The EFCC in a motion dated August 12, 2020 and marked FHC/L/CS/1069/2020, asked the court to issue an order directing that the funds in three bank accounts be forfeited in the interim.

 

According to the anti-graft commission, the three bank accounts are “being investigated for the offences of conspiracy, diversion of funds, abuse of office and money laundering”.

 

All three accounts which carried the name of the defendant are domiciled in Standard Chartered Bank.

While one of the accounts (001852963) is a domiciliary account, the other two (001852956 and 5002349821) are naira current and savings accounts respectively.

 

After hearing the application filed by S.I Sulieman, counsel to the EFCC, the court ruled in favour of the commission on September 15, 2020.

 

Earlier on Thursday, Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC spokesperson, confirmed that Obasa was at the agency’s office for questioning.

“He responded to an invite from the commission this morning,” Uwujaren said.

 

The Lagos speaker was accused of embezzling public funds and abusing his office.

 

SaharaReporters had reported an investigation on the speaker who allegedly owns more than 60 bank accounts.

 

He was accused of using his office to misappropriate funds and allocate contracts to himself through third party sources, as well as acquaintances.

 

The state house of assembly had cleared the speaker of the allegations, saying they are untrue.