EFCC has secured the final forfeiture of “Asmau Plaza”, valued at about
N150million, traced to Rasaq Momonu, Controller, Finance and Account,
Kwara State Government House, which is believed to be proceeds of crime.
The order of final forfeiture of the plaza, located at University Road,
Tanke Area, Ilorin, was given by Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of a Kwara
State High Court sitting in Ilorin, on August 1, 2019 following an
application brought before the court by the EFCC seeking for its
forfeiture.
Moving the motion, dated July 19, 2019, Nnaemeka Omewa, counsel for the
EFCC, urged the court to grant the prayer for final forfeiture, pursuant
to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences.
“I urge the Court to grant the motion,” he said.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Oyinloye granted the application and
resolved all the issues raised in favour of the EFCC, noting that the
EFCC fulfilled all the necessary requirements.
Justice Oyinloye held that: “I have gone through the application brought
by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, I also sighted the
hearing notice issued to the respondent in the suit, Rasaq Momonu. This
Honourable Court is persuaded that he had been served with the Court
Processes.
“The application brought by the EFCC is meritorious and granted; this
Honourable Court hereby orders the final forfeiture of the landed
property known as Asmau Plaza, Tanke Road, Ilorin, Kwara State to the
Federal Government of Nigeria.”
It will be recalled that Momonu is facing money laundering charges
before Justice Babangana Ashigar of the Federal High Court, sitting in
Ilorin, and is expected back in court on September 25, 2019.
In an affidavit deposed to by Musa Gidado, an investigating officer with
the EFCC, Momonu is alleged of being complicit in the diversion of state
funds.
Gidado said: “Investigations revealed that Rasaq Momonu used his
influence as Accountant with Kwara State Government to award and inflate
contracts for the construction of two classrooms at Ogbondoroko and
Obanisuwa Community in Kwara State.
“Investigations further revealed that the respondent who is a Civil
Servant that earns less than N100,000 in a month cannot afford to build
the house known as Asmau Plaza between 2010 -2012.
“That I know as a fact that the respondent was confronted with the above
findings by the applicant which he did not dispute and has agreed to
forfeit the property known as Asmau Plaza to the Federal Government of
Nigeria.”