The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) Abuja Zonal Command has handed over documentation for confiscated properties and 324 dwellings to Kano State pensioners.
According to the EFCC, the mansions were fraudulently sold to the associates of two unnamed previous Kano State governors.
While handing over the documents for the 324 properties worth N4.1 billion to the pensioners on Monday, the EFCC’s Abuja zone commander, Assistant Commander Adeniyi Adebayo, told them that the EFCC would continue to work hard to rid the country of fraudulent activities.
Furthermore, representatives of the Kano State Pension Board, Alhaji Hassan Muhammed Aminu, Kubra Ahmad Bichi, and Salisu Yakubu Abubakar, who received the documents on behalf of the workers and pensioners, expressed happiness and joy with the EFCC for supporting them in retrieving the residences.
EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said the handing over of the houses followed a final forfeiture order granted by Justice I.E. Ekwo of the Federal High Court sitting Abuja, after a successful investigations carried out by the anti-graft commission over a N4.1billion Pension Trust Fund contributed by the pensioners to own houses, which was fraudulently denied them by two successive administrations in Kano State.
He said, “the commission investigated a petition by Concerned Kano State Workers and Pensioners of alleged misappropriation of pension funds in the state. Findings by the EFCC showed that the state government entered into a tripartite agreement with the Kano State Pension Trust Fund to build housing estates for an aggregate sum of N41 billion out of which the Pension Trust Fund was to contribute N4.1billion.
“However, the contribution of the pensioners was used to build the houses in three estates located in Sheikh Ja’afar Mahmud Adam Bandirawo City, Sheikh Nasiru Kabara (Amana) city and Sheikh Khalifa Ishaq Rabiu City, all in Kano State and two former governors of the state fraudulently discounted and sold the houses to their cronies and associates, leaving the pension trustees with low budget and uncompleted houses.
“The EFCC stepped in and upon completion of investigation, filed for and acquired a final forfeiture order of the 324 properties to the Kano State Pension Fund Trustees.”
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