The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday granted an interim order of forfeiture of properties linked to two former Directors of Finance and Accounts at the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Suleiman Bulkwang and Abdullahi Sambo, over an alleged N1.4 billion fraudulent payments scheme within the agency.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu granted the order following an ex parte motion filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), led by Ekele Iheanacho, SAN.
“An interim order of this Honourable Court forfeiting to the Federal Government of Nigeria the properties described in the Schedule below, which are reasonably suspected to be derived from proceeds of unlawful activities,” the motion partly reads.
The seven properties forfeited include a 1-hectare plot of land in Ungwan Rere, Lafia Local Government Area of Nasarawa State (linked to Sambo), and four units of two-bedroom flats in Kubwa, Abuja (linked to Suleiman Bulkwang).
According to an EFCC court document, Mr. Sambo, in March 2023, allegedly informed REA staff in advance that funds would be paid into their bank accounts, which they were to remit under the guise of “project supervision and monitoring.”
The Commission added that seven REA staff, in their extrajudicial statements, acknowledged receiving directives from Mr. Sambo to disburse the funds upon receipt via the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) platform.
“Mr. Sambo directed staff in his department to carry out transactions on the GIFMIS platform and ultimately approved and effected fraudulent payments totaling N1,481,389,518.11,” the Commission stated.
Between March and June 2023, Mr. Sambo allegedly instructed staff in his department to make payments totaling N1,481,389,518.11 into the various bank accounts of seven REA accounts department staff, including his own and that of his Personal Assistant, Usman Kwakwa.
“These payments were made without the approval of the Managing Director and without the mandatory preparation and audit of payment vouchers by the audit department, as required,” the Commission added.
The anti-graft agency stated that upon receipt of the funds, Mr. Kwakwa was directed by Mr. Sambo to further disburse the total amount to his associates, Bureau De Change operators, senior agency staff, and Mr. Sambo himself.
“Mr. Sambo personally benefited from a total sum of N742,486,700.00 from the REA, funneled through his staff, most of which was used to acquire identified properties via his associate, Danmama Mohammed,” the Commission alleged.
The EFCC told the court that Bulkwang and Sambo had “indicated willingness” to forfeit the properties allegedly acquired through unlawful means, and clarified that the case is a “non-conviction-based asset forfeiture proceeding.”
EFCC lawyer Mary Babatunde, who moved the ex parte motion, urged the court to grant her prayers and order the publication of the forfeited assets in national dailies. This would allow any interested parties to appear before the court within 14 days to show cause why a final forfeiture order should not be granted in favor of the Federal Government.
After reviewing the submissions and court documents, the judge granted the interim forfeiture order and set a 14-day deadline for interested parties to respond.
The matter was adjourned to July 7 for a compliance report.
The REA is the implementing agency of the Federal Government under the Federal Ministry of Power, responsible for electrifying rural and underserved communities.
The probe into the agency began in 2023, when operatives launched an investigation into alleged fraud, criminal conspiracy, and diversion of public funds within the REA.
Recall that in November 2024, the EFCC arraigned Suleiman Garba Bulkwang before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged fraud and money laundering amounting to N223,412,909.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday granted an interim order of forfeiture of properties linked to two former Directors of Finance and Accounts at the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Suleiman Bulkwang and Abdullahi Sambo, over an alleged N1.4 billion fraudulent payments scheme within the agency.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu granted the order following an ex parte motion filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), led by Ekele Iheanacho, SAN.
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