Oscarline Onwuemenyi
04 March 2017, Sweetcrude, Abuja – Former Group Managing Director of the National Nigerian Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Engr. Andrew Yakubu has dragged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to court over a forfeiture order.
It would be recalled that earlier last week, Justice Zainab Bage Abubakar of the Federal High Court Kano while ruling on an ex parte application filed before it by the EFCC’s counsel, ordered that the $9.8 million and 74,000 pounds recovered from Mr. Yakubu be forfeited to the federal government.
Mr. Yakubu was dragged before Justice Zainab by the commission after it recovered $9.8 million and 74,000 pounds from his residence in Kaduna state.
However, Mr. Yakubu has also dragged the commission to another federal high court sitting at Court road, Kano seeking redress on the forfeiture order.
Counsel to the former NNPC boss, Mr. Ahmed Raji, who spoke through Barrister Abdulkarim Kabiru Maude said his client had applied for motion on notice seeking the court to vacate the forfeiture order earlier granted by Justice Zainab.
The EFCC’s spokesperson at the Kano Zonal office, Mr. Idris Nadabo, while confirming the development, said the case is coming up on the 7th March 2017 at the Federal High court sitting at Court road, Kano.
On February 3, operatives of the Commission had searched a building belonging to the former NNPC boss and recovered the money stashed in a huge fireproof safe. On February 8, Yakubu reported to the Commission’s Kano Zonal Office where he admitted being the owner of both the house and the money recovered.
The former NNPC boss, Yakubu, has admitted ownership of the recovered money of $9.8 million from his home.
The EFCC said last Friday in Abuja in a statement that Yakubu had reported to the commission’s zonal office in Kano and made the statement claiming the money was a gift from unnamed persons.
The commission said that Yakubu, who also admitted that another 74, 000 pounds cash was recovered from him, is currently assisting in the investigation.
Wilson Uwujaren, Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, said that a special operation conducted by operatives of the commission on February 3, stormed a building belonging to Yakubu in Kaduna to recover the cash.
He said that the huge cash was hidden in a fire proof safe.
Uwujaren said that the surprise raid of the facility was the sequel to an intelligence which the commission received about suspected proceeds of crime believed to be hidden in the slums of Sabon Tasha area of Kaduna.
He said that on arrival at the facility, the caretaker of the house, one Bitrus Yakubu, a younger brother to Andrew Yakubu, disclosed that both the house and the safe where the money was found belong to his brother, Andrew Yakubu.
Uwujaren said that when the safe was opened it was discovered that it contained the sum of 9,772,800 dollars and another sum of 74,000 pounds.
The EFCC source said that it was the largest sum of cash the commission had recovered in recent times.
Yakubu was arraigned in June 2016 on allegations of money laundering. He served as GMD of NNPC from 2012 to 2014 during the Goodluck Jonathan administration.