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One week after suspension, court orders forfeiture of assets linked to Oyo-Ita

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Head of federal service Oyo-Ita hospitalized after grilling by EFCC over N3bn scam

Funds linked to the suspended Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita have been suspended by the Abuja Federal High Court.

The court presided over by Justice Folashade Ogunbanjo-Giwa ordered the permanent forfeiture of the assets on Thursday.

The order followed an application for permanent forfeiture by counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) M. S. Abubakar.

The order came a week after President Muhammadu Buhari asked Oyo-Ita to proceed on an indefinite suspension pending the outcome of the investigation of corruption allegations against her

Abubakar had during the Thursday proceedings informed the court that between the last adjournment on June 28, 2019, when the court granted an ex parte application for the interim forfeiture of the assets and till date, no party had come forward to lay claim to the funds.

He had also said that the unnamed suspect who was served with the order of interim forfeiture did not respond.

He said the funds were voluntarily returned to the commission as proceeds of crime.

Owing to the failure of any claimant to the funds, the EFCC’s lawyer then prayed the court to make the order permanent. He added that the money had been paid into an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) immediately it was returned by the suspect.

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In a short ruling, Justice Ogunbanjo-Giwa, granted the request of the anti-graft body, and ordered for the permanent forfeiture of the said assets.

Meanwhile, details of the case were not read out in the open court at the time the judge made the order of final forfeiture of the monetary assets to the Federal Government.

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