MONEY LAUNDERING: Court Orders Forfeiture of ₦540 Million, Cars linked to Anambra Primary School Teacher

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of N120 million traced to a primary school teacher, Roseline Egbuha, and her accomplices, to the federal government.

The court also ordered the forfeiture of cars, traced to Mrs. Egbuha, a teacher with Ozala Primary School, Abagana, Anambra State.

A statement by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), said on Thursday that the judge, D.U Okorowo, also ordered the forfeiture of cars, traced to the teacher.

ICPC’s spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, said the court issued the order on 26 or 27 June but the commission’s lawyers only obtained the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the order on Wednesday.

The commission said the court order followed an ex parte motion filed in 2021 following allegations surrounding N540 million linked to Mrs Egbuha and her alleged accomplices.

ICPC explained that the teacher who was on a monthly salary of N76,000 as of the time of her arrest in 2020 had N540 million in her bank account with Guaranty Trust Bank.

It said investigations by ICPC revealed Mrs Egbuha was involved in money laundering thereby prompting the commission to place a Post-No-Debit (PND) on her account.

The suspect, however, obtained a court order from the Federal High Court, Abuja, lifting the PND placed on the account, according to ICPC. She was said to have then promptly withdrawn the money and distributed it into multiple bank accounts owned by Bureau de Change operators and private individuals.

ICPC listed Mrs Egbuha’s alleged accomplices to include: James Erebouye, Emon Okune, Chisom Iwueke, Alonge Ojo, Maureen Chidimma, Owoyemi Mayowa and Ejeaka Ifeoma. It also said two private companies were charged to court over fraudulent activities and warehousing proceeds of the alleged crimes.

ICPC’s lawyer, Adesina Raheem, had in his court filings sought an order for the final forfeiture of the money and cars to the federal government.

The judge, after taking arguments from lawyers to the ICPC and the respondents, ruled that the funds found in seven individual bank accounts and that of two private companies should be forfeited to the federal government.

The money assets covered by the order are 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 alleged accomplice, Ojo Alonge, forfeited 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.

Also forfeited are the sums 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.

Other items forfeited by the respondents are Toyota Lexus and Venza sport utility vehicles.