The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has accused a former Vice Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) Professor Vincent Ado Tenebe and other staff of diverting over N275 million from the school bank accounts.
The accusations were contained in its motion on notice marked FHC/ABJ/CS/33/2024, before the Federal High Court, Abuja, seen by Nairametrics on Monday.
The EFCC told the Court that the property known as Sunflower Hotel Kaduna, among others, was suspected to be proceeds of crime linked to Monday Onyema, a former Bursar, NOUN, Adamu Danlami and Professor Vincent Ado Tenebe, under investigation of the alleged offences of conspiracy, stealing of public funds.
EFCC’s counsel, Francis Usani submitted that the sum of N 275,081, 896.90 presumed to be diverted from the account of NOUN by Professor Vincent Ado Tenebe was also used to fund the renovation and completion of the Sunflower Hotel.
He stated that the development amounts to the diversion of public funds belonging to NOUN, adding that attempts have been made to apprehend the purported owners of the property but to no avail and nobody has come out expressly to claim ownership of the said hotel.
In the affidavit deposed to by an EFCC, staff, Hayatudeen S. Ahmed, the suspects who are said to be all at large, allegedly conspired and connived with other staff of the NOUN to divert public funds into companies where they had a subsisting interest.
He said, through the companies, they funded their projects.
He stated,
“Investigations further revealed that the account of a company known as Crossbill International Limited owned by one Adamu Danladi received a huge portion of the illicit funds fraudulently diverted from the accounts of NOUN by Mr. Monday Onyeme.
“That investigations revealed also that Crossbill International Limited from the illicit funds diverted from the NOUN account made payments to other entities known as Wanone Investment Limited, Tanadi Limited, Namutane Foundation and Sunflower Hotel Limited.
“It was also discovered during investigations that all the entities mentioned in paragraph 7 of this affidavit are linked to a former Vice Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria, Professor Vincent Ado Tenebe.
“Investigations revealed that the sum of Two Hundred and Seventy-Five Million. Eighty-one thousand Eight Hundred and Ninety-Six Naira Ninety Kobo (N 275.081,896.90) traced to Professor Vincent Ado Tenebe’s account was used in building the hotel known as Sunflower Hotel Located at Sunflower, Kaduna.”
The commission then prayed the court to block the hotel building from being sold or used while ordering any person of interest to show cause why the hotel should not be forfeited to the federal government.
What the judge said
Justice Inyang Ekwo, in his ruling, seen by Nairametrics, granted EFCC’s request.
“Order is hereby made for the preservation of the property known as Sunflower Hotel, located at Sunflower Crescent, Unguwan Maigero Road, Narayi, Kaduna, reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity,” Ekwo ruled.
Today was fixed for a further report by the EFCC, however, Nairametrics gathered that the matter was further adjourned to May 22.
What you should know
- The EFCC is a federal government agency saddled with tracking and prosecuting financial crimes.
- Relating to criminal or civil proceedings, the Federal High Court is one of the courts of first instance.
