A former Deputy Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Adenike Bintu, has forfeited 60 buildings she illegally acquired to the Federal Government.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja gave the order while ruling in a case of corruption levelled against Bintu by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Bintu was said to have defrauded over 1,000 persons, who subscribed to her housing estate located along the Airport Road, Abuja.
The EFCC dragged her before Justice O. Egwuata and prayed for an order for the final forfeiture of the 60 buildings and a 9.6 hectares land, both located at Sabon-Lugbe South-West extension, Airport Road, Abuja.
The properties were said to have been acquired by Bintu through corrupt means.
According to ICPC’s lawyer, John-Paul Okwor, the commission relied on Section 48 (1) (2) and (3) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, which gives it power to approach courts to forfeit properties corruptly acquired by individuals.
ICPC spokesperson, Mrs Azuka Ogugua, in a statement on Thursday titled, ‘ICPC: NSCDC commandant forfeits 60 buildings, land to FG,’ stated that the agency had argued before the court that the former commandant set up a private company, Faith Winners Victory Properties Limited, through which she allegedly perpetrated the fraud by selling plots of land to unsuspecting members of the public.
Bintu was said to have told the court that the land, which she used in defrauding over 1,000 subscribers, was owned in partnership with the NSCDC.
The statement partly read, “However, the subscribers, who had made several payments running into millions of naira, were never allocated plots of land nor had their funds returned to them by Bintu and her company.
“Furthermore, ICPC proved before the court that Bintu, who had jumped bail and is now a fugitive, did not enter into any partnership with NSCDC to build estates for members of the public.”