Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has recently mandated the final forfeiture of the Sunflower Hotel Ltd, a property valued in millions of naira located in Kaduna State. This ruling links the hotel to Prof. Vincent Tenebe, former Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). The court’s order, articulated last Tuesday and later reported by PUNCH Online, was in response to a motion filed on June 21 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). In delivering his judgment, Justice Ekwo stated that the property was suspected to be derived from unlawful activities and, therefore, ordered it to be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The judicial process commenced on February 16 when an interim preservation order was placed on the hotel. This order called for the EFCC to officially publicize the forfeiture notice within a two-week period to inform any potential claimants of the property. The primary accusations emerged from an intelligence report the EFCC received in December 2022, which outlined illicit activities involving various persons, notably Monday Onyeme, the former Chairman of the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue, and Adamu Danlami, owner of Crossbill International Ltd, who have since evaded capture.
Investigations conducted by the EFCC unveiled a complex scheme where Onyeme and other staff exploited their positions to misappropriate funds from NOUN. Notably, a substantial amount from these misdirected funds was funneled into Crossbill International Ltd, which subsequently distributed money to several other entities, including Sunflower Hotel Ltd. A key component of the investigation was the financial transactions detailed in account statements for several companies, revealing a cascading effect of fund diversion extending to various affiliated organizations.
Critical evidence presented highlighted that the construction of Sunflower Hotel Ltd was financed with funds presumed to have been misappropriated from NOUN, with specific amounts traced back to Tenebe’s account. While it was established that Tenebe was not officially a director or shareholder in the hotel, he allegedly used the misallocated funds to finalize the acquisition and completion of the hotel. Corporate Affairs Commission records indicated that the hotel’s directors do not possess actual ownership, raising questions about the hotel’s legitimacy regarding ownership and management.
Following the interim order, the EFCC adhered to legal protocols by publishing the forfeiture notice on March 5, which invited claims from any individuals or organizations that might contest the ownership of the hotel. However, this announcement did not elicit any responses or claims against the property during the designated publication timeframe. In the subsequent motion for final forfeiture, the EFCC underscored the necessity of completing the forfeiture in the public interest to facilitate the government’s control and management of the property in favour of NOUN.
The ongoing case, designated as FHC/ABJ/CS/33/2024, articulates the EFCC as the applicant and Sunflower Hotel Ltd as the respondent. The establishment is located on Sunflower Crescent, Unguwan Maigero Road in Kaduna State, encapsulating the challenges surrounding financial crimes and accountability within public institutions in Nigeria. As the case unfolds, it serves as an important precedent in tackling corruption and ensuring the integrity of financial management in educational and governmental sectors.
