Court orders ex-NNPC boss to forfeit $9.8m to FG

A Federal High Court in Kano presided over by
Justice Zainab Abubakar Tuesday ordered the
forfeiture of $9,772,000 (nine million, seven
hundred and seventy two thousand) and £74,000
(seventy four thousand pound sterlings) recovered
from a former Group Managing Director of the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC,
Mr. Andrew Yakubu, to the federal government.
The order was sequel to an ex parte application by
the EFCC seeking an interim forfeiture of the
recovered money.
The ex parte application was moved by Salihu Sani,
counsel for the applicant.
In her ruling, Justice Abubakar held “That the sum
of $9,772,000 (Nine Million, Seven Hundred and
Seventy Two Thousand United States Dollars) and
£74,000 (Seventy Four Thousand Pound Sterling)
which are now in the custody of the applicant
(EFCC) are in the interim forfeited to the Federal
Government of Nigeria.”
On February 3, operatives of the Commission had
searched a building belonging to the former NNPC
boss and recovered the money stashed in a huge
fire proof safe. On February 8, Yakubu reported to
the Commission’s Kano Zonal Office where he
admitted being the owner of both the house and
the money recovered.