A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday ordered the temporary forfeiture of $49,700 allegedly recovered from Dr. Nura Ali, former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for Sokoto State during the 2023 general elections.
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Justice Emeka Nwite issued the order after Osuobeni Akponimisingha, counsel to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), moved an ex-parte motion.
The motion, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1846/2024, was jointly filed by the ICPC and the Department of State Services (DSS) and dated December 20, 2023. Mr. Usman Dauda, Director of Legal for the DSS, signed the application, while Akponimisingha represented the ICPC.
The motion sought an order for the temporary forfeiture of the $49,700, suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity, and directed the ICPC and DSS to conduct a thorough investigation and submit a report within 90 days. It also instructed the deposit of the funds into an escrow account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and called for a public notice inviting claims of interest in the money.
The application argued that the funds, recovered during a DSS search at Ali’s residence, were bribe money linked to his role as REC in Sokoto State. It emphasized that INEC does not pay salaries or allowances in U.S. dollars and insisted the funds must be preserved to prevent dissipation.
During the hearing, Akponimisingha revealed that Ali claimed the $150,000 was given to him by former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal and Senator Aliyu Wamakko. The DSS recovered the money during a search warrant execution, with Ali allegedly making extra-judicial statements and writing letters to reclaim the funds.
In an affidavit by Iliya Markus, a litigation officer with the ICPC, it was stated that Ali did not report the alleged gift to law enforcement agencies, as required by law.
Justice Nwite found the application meritorious and granted the prayers. The case was adjourned to January 30 for a compliance report on the publication notice and March 31 for the hearing of the matter.
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