Primary school teacher, others forfeit N120m, cars to FG
By Paul Michael
A N120 million traced to a primary school teacher, Mrs Roseline Egbuha, and her accomplices, was forfeited to the Federal Government through the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) following a final forfeiture order by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
Mrs Egbuha and her cohorts were also ordered to forfeit vehicles, Toyota Lexus and Venza Sport Utility, to the government, which form part of N540 million proceeds of crime traced to them.
It was gathered that Mrs Egbuha, who is a teacher with Ozala Primary School, Abagana, Anambra State with a salary of N76,000 as of 2020 when she was arrested by ICPC, had N540 million stashed in her Guaranty Trust Bank account.
Further investigations by ICPC revealed her alleged complicity in money laundering thereby prompting the Commission to place a Post-No-Debit (PND) on the account, ICPC spokesperson, Mrs Azuka Ogugua said in a statement on Thursday.
Mrs Ogugua, however, said the PND was lifted by Egbuha and her accomplices with a court order from a Federal High Court, Abuja, and the money promptly split and moved into multiple bank accounts owned by Bureau de Change operators and private individuals.
The Commission, therefore, charged Egbuba and others to court for involvement in fraudulent activities and warehousing proceeds of crime.
The Commission gave the names of the accomplices as James Erebouye, Emon Okune, Chisom Iwueke, Alonge Ojo, Maureen Chidimma, Owoyemi Mayowa, Ejeaka Ifeoma, and two private companies.
Counsel to ICPC, Adesina Raheem, had in an ex-parte motion filed in 2021 before Justice D. U. Okorowo, alleged that the funds were proceeds of unlawful activities stashed away in six new generation banks by Egbuha and her associates.
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Raheed therefore, prayed the court to order the final forfeiture of the money and cars to the Federal Government.
Justice Okorowo, after taking arguments from counsel to ICPC and the respondents, ruled that monies found in seven individual bank accounts and that of two private companies as well as cars in their possession should be forfeited to the Federal Government.
“The forfeiture order includes N30.8 million in a Polaris Bank account of Dorason Construction Ltd, N17.4 million traced to a Sterling Bank account of James Erebouye, and N16.4 million found in the Zenith Bank account of Dybako and Sons Nig Ltd.
“Another accomplice, Ojo Alonge will also forfeit to the Federal Government, N14.1 million traced to two separate accounts with First Bank and Ecobank respectively. Owoyemi Mayowa on her part forfeited N7.1 million held in Zenith Bank.
“Furthermore, the final forfeiture order includes the sum of N8.2 million, N9.7 million, N6.5 million, and N122,100 kept in different bank accounts, by Emon Okune, Chisom Iwueke, Maureen Chidimma, and Ejeaka Ifeoma respectively,” Mrs Ogugua added.
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