By TAIYE AGBAJE

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, ordered the interim forfeiture of the sum of over N1.1 billion allegedly moved out of the Kano State Federation Account domiciled with the United Bank for Africa (UBA) illegally.

Justice Emeka Nwite made the order after Oluwafunke Bada, counsel for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offeveces Commission (ICPC), moved an ex-parte motion to the effect.

Justice Nwite held that the application was meritorious and accordingly granted.

The judge also ordered that the forfeiture order be published in any national daily for any person interested in the said property sought to be forfeited to appear before the court to show cause why the funds should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

Justice Nwite then adjourned the matter until Jan. 21, 2026 for report of compliance.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/2634/2025, the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) and the sum of N1,109,230,000.00 domiciled in ICPC Recovery Account were listed in the face of the document.

The suit was dated Dec. 3 and filed Dec. 8 by Z.S. Nass, an Assistant Director with ICPC.

The anti-corruption commission sought two reliefs which include an interim order forfeiting to the FRN the amount of one billion, one hundred and nine million, two hundred and thirty thousand naira (N1,109,230,000.00).

It said the money was recovered in the course of investigating Petition Number: ICPC/P/NC/564/2024 by the ICPC and reasonably suspected to have been the proceeds of unlawful activities.

It also sought an order directing that the forfeiture order “be published in any national newspaper for any person interested in the said properties sought to be forfeited to appear before this honourable court to show cause, within a time to be specified by this honourable court why a final forfeiture order should not be made in favour of the Federal Government of Nigeria.”

In the affidavit in support of the motion deposed to by David Nelson, an Anti-Corruption Assistant with the ICPC, he said the commission received a petition dated Aug. 19, 2024 from some concerned citizens of Kano State.

Nelson said the citizens allegedly the withdrawal of two billion, three hundred million naira (2,300,000,000.00) from the Kano State Federation Account: 1026282580 domiciled with UBA in cash and used for purposes not related to government business.

He said in the course of investigation, the ICPC discovered that on the Nov. 9, 2023, the Accountant-General (AG) of Kano State, Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, authorised the payment of N1.1 billion to two Bureau de Change (BDC) companies.

He said the BDC companies include Namu Na Kune Global Resources Ltd and Kazo Nazo Global Concept.

The officer said the state’s AG submitted two letters of authority to the Government House of Kano State, signed by the Managing Directors of two oil companies– A. Y. Maikifi Oil & Gas Ltd and Ammas Petroleum Company Ltd, instructing the Kano State Government to make the following payments for the supply of diesel to the state government.

The two letters of authority (herewith attached and marked as EXHIBITS 3 & 4) requested from the Kano State Government, payment of N539 million to Kazo Nazo Global Concept and three payments of N570 million, N48 million and N14.9 million to Namu Na Kune Global Resources.”

He said the commission invited Yamta Audu and Ahmad Bello Hamza, the Managing Directors of A. Y. Maikifi Oil & Gas Ltd and Ammas Petroleum Company Ltd respectively for inquiries into the said letters of authority and supplies of oil products to the state government.

“That the two managing directors stated to the ICPC that they signed the letters of authority at the request of the Accountant General of Kano State, who informed them that the state government needed their assistance to release funds required to address certain financial needs of the state.

“That in their written statements to the ICPC, the two managing directors stated that the contracts mentioned in both letters of authority do not exist.

“No supplies of diesel or alum were ever made by their companies to the Kano State Government,” he averred.

According to Nelson, investigation revealed that after A.Y. Maikifi Oiland Gas Ltd and Ammas Petroleum Company Ltd signed the undated letters of authority which were received at the Office of the Commissioner of Water Resources on the 7th of November, 2023, the Kano State Government paid the sum N585,000,000.00 each on the 9th of October, 2023 to Kazo Nazo Global Concept and Namu Na Kune Global Resources Ltd, a total of N1,170,000,000.00.

He alleged that the two managing directors converted the total sum of N1,170,000,000.00 paid by the Kano State Government into one million U.S. dollars ($1,000,000.00) and handed it to his partner, Ghali Muhammad Dahiru, in cash, for delivery to Abdullahi Ibrahim Rogo, the Director of Protocol of Government House, Kano State.

“That Gali Muhammad Dahiru handed over the said $1,000,000.00 cash to Abdullahi Ibrahim Rogo as directed by Nasiru Adamu at the Kano State Liaison Office in Asokoro, Abuja.

“Abdullahi Ibrahim Rogo admitted collecting the money in his statement to the ICPC dated 9th of September, 2025, marked herewith as EXHIBIT 9,” he said.

The officer said that the ICPC was able to recover a total sum of N1,109,230,000.00 out of the N1,170,000,000.00 taken from the Kano State Federation Account from the two companies in two instalments each of N570,000,000 and N539,230,000 on the Feb. 27 and March 21 respectively.

He said it would be “in the interest of justice to preserve the res by granting an interim order of forfeiture pending such notice to the public or publication as this honourable court may direct to be made.” (NAN)

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