The management of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has applied to a Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to be handed 46 property seized from the agency’s ex-chairman, Ngozi Olejeme.
The property includes houses and parcels of land in Bayelsa, Delta, Edo and Abuja.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had received an order from Justice Taiwo Taiwo on July 1 for temporary forfeiture of the identified property.
The judge asked the EFCC to publish the order in a national daily to enable anyone who is interested in the listed property to show cause, within 14 days, why the assets should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
During Wednesday’s hearing, NSITF through its lawyer Okereke Ezechi urged the court to pass the property to it should they be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
The agency claimed to be the principal victim of the alleged crimes purported committed by Olejeme who was chairman of the agency’s management board between 2009 to 2015.
In a supporting affidavit, the agency claimed that N62 billon was received during Olejeme’s tenure, but was allegedly diverted through phoney contracts.
Part of the affidavit read: “Some of the contractors/consultants, who were awarded contracts and consultancy services running into billions of naira and never executed them, but fully paid by the NSITF under strict instructions from Ngozi Olejeme, are Excellent Solicitors & Consultants, who was paid over N1billion under the guise of consultancy services which was never executed; Fountain Legal Services and Fountain Media Consults was paid N5,984,056,110.00; Hybrid Investment Advisors Ltd, etc.
“During the tenure of Ngozi Olejeme as Chairperson of the Management Board of the NSITF, over N60b was transferred out of the account of the NSITF with instruction and authorisation by Ngozi Olejeme under the guise of payment for contracts and consultancy services purportedly executed in total breach of procurement requirements.”
It further said that all legitimate entitlements and benefits of Olejeme for the period she served as NSITF chairman could not have purchased her all the property listed in the suit.
