[PHOTO] Court Orders Forfeiture Of Abuja Mansion Belonging To Obanikoro’s Wife

A Federal High Court sitting in Jabi, Abuja has ordered the forfeiture of a multi-million naira property belonging to Moroophat Obanikoro, the wife of a former minister of state for defence Senator Musiliu Obanikoro pending the outcome of investigations being conducted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission into her husband and children.

Her prayer asking the court to order EFCC to pay her the sum of N200m for violating her fundamental human rights was also rejected.

Moroophat has already filed an appeal challenging the court judgment.

The court ruling follows investigations into the $2.1bn arms scam involving the Office of the National Security Adviser in which the EFCC had traced the transfer of about N4.7bn to the Diamond Bank account of Sylvan McNamara, a company allegedly owned by Obanikoro’s two sons – Gbolahan and Babajide.

Sahara Reporters reports that out of the said amount, Obanikoro allegedly gave N3.880bn to Ayodele Fayose and Senator Iyiola Omisore in July 2014 when they were the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidates in Ekiti and Osun states respectively.

Already, the EFCC has seized a house in the Ikoyi area of Lagos State allegedly belonging to Obanikoro’s sons – Gbolahan and Babajide – and a property located at 44 Mamman Kotangora Crescent, Katampke Extension, Abuja, belonging to their mother.

However, Obanikoro’s wife argued that she bought the property over seven years before the alleged arms scam took place.