Patience, the wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, has
recovered her N2bn hotel which was sealed off by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission in June.
In June, the EFCC placed the red inscriptions, ‘EFCC Under
Investigation’ all over the hotel which is located near Setraco
Construction Company, off the Mabushi Kado Expressway.
However, when our correspondent visited the five-storey building
recently, the EFCC inscriptions had been covered with patches of
grey paint.
When our correspondent knocked on the gate, three men who
attended to him said they acted on the instruction of Mrs.
Jonathan.
When asked if they had the right to enter the building, one of
them said, “Go and ask the EFCC if they had the right to put their
sign all over the building in the first place. If you want more
information, go and ask madam.”
The spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said he did not
know much about the seizure of the building and thus could not say
if it had been returned to Patience or not.
He said, “I have spoken to the appropriate people but I was not
able to get any answer on the matter.”
A source at the EFCC said it was wrong of Patience to have
erased the EFCC inscription from the building.
He said, “Sometimes when we are investigating some politically
exposed persons, they immediately begin to sell off their buildings
in order to cover their tracks and run away with the cash so that
is why we put EFCC signs on the buildings so that innocent people
will not buy those buildings.
“As it is, she has removed the inscriptions and can quickly sell
it off.”
Although the hotel has not been officially valued by the EFCC,
some estate agents within the community told our correspondent that
the property should be worth about N2bn.
The property, which has not yet been officially opened, has
between 50 and 100 rooms, a gym, a fountain and other
amenities.
In his reaction, Mrs. Jonathan’s lawyer, Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN),
said he was not aware of the seizure of the property.
Adedipe said if the hotel in question was indeed seized through
a court order, then the removal of the EFCC inscriptions would be
of no effect.
He, however, boasted that all properties and funds seized from
the former first lady would be returned to her soon.
The senior advocate revealed that Mrs. Jonathan had dragged the
EFCC before a high court in Abuja and the matter would soon come up
for mention.
Adedipe said, “I am not aware of the seizure of property. If the
EFCC seal was removed from the property, let them go and put
another one. In any case, we have sued the EFCC for abuse of her
human rights and human dignity. The matter is pending before the
Federal High Court in Abuja and everything has been included in
that suit.
“We are challenging all the seizures because without prejudice
to our case, Mrs. Jonathan was neither a public officer nor a
contractor. So, the idea of harassing her beats my imagination.
“I don’t see the basis for the EFCC’s harassment of that woman
and the case wears a political toga because she was a formidable
element during the campaign.”
Patience first came under EFCC investigation in May 2016 when
the commission arrested a former Special Adviser to the President
on Domestic Affairs, Waripamowei Dudafa.
Mrs. Jonathan laid claim to about $15m found in bank accounts
allegedly belonging Dudafa’s domestic servants.
She subsequently sued Skye Bank Plc and the EFCC. The commission
then went ahead to freeze her personal account with a balance of
$5m.
The anti-graft agency had also frozen bank accounts belonging to
her relatives and friends including business mogul, Bola
Shagaya.
Her husband, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, had complained about the
harassment of his wife by the commission while Patience had also
written a petition to the House of Representatives asking the
lawmakers to caution the EFCC and stop harassing her and her
relatives.
Patience, the wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, has
recovered her N2bn hotel which was sealed off by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission in June.
In June, the EFCC placed the red inscriptions, ‘EFCC Under
Investigation’ all over the hotel which is located near Setraco
Construction Company, off the Mabushi Kado Expressway.
However, when our correspondent visited the five-storey building
recently, the EFCC inscriptions had been covered with patches of
grey paint.
When our correspondent knocked on the gate, three men who
attended to him said they acted on the instruction of Mrs.
Jonathan.
When asked if they had the right to enter the building, one of
them said, “Go and ask the EFCC if they had the right to put their
sign all over the building in the first place. If you want more
information, go and ask madam.”
The spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said he did not
know much about the seizure of the building and thus could not say
if it had been returned to Patience or not.
He said, “I have spoken to the appropriate people but I was not
able to get any answer on the matter.”
A source at the EFCC said it was wrong of Patience to have
erased the EFCC inscription from the building.
He said, “Sometimes when we are investigating some politically
exposed persons, they immediately begin to sell off their buildings
in order to cover their tracks and run away with the cash so that
is why we put EFCC signs on the buildings so that innocent people
will not buy those buildings.
“As it is, she has removed the inscriptions and can quickly sell
it off.”
Although the hotel has not been officially valued by the EFCC,
some estate agents within the community told our correspondent that
the property should be worth about N2bn.
The property, which has not yet been officially opened, has
between 50 and 100 rooms, a gym, a fountain and other
amenities.
In his reaction, Mrs. Jonathan’s lawyer, Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN),
said he was not aware of the seizure of the property.
Adedipe said if the hotel in question was indeed seized through
a court order, then the removal of the EFCC inscriptions would be
of no effect.
He, however, boasted that all properties and funds seized from
the former first lady would be returned to her soon.
The senior advocate revealed that Mrs. Jonathan had dragged the
EFCC before a high court in Abuja and the matter would soon come up
for mention.
Adedipe said, “I am not aware of the seizure of property. If the
EFCC seal was removed from the property, let them go and put
another one. In any case, we have sued the EFCC for abuse of her
human rights and human dignity. The matter is pending before the
Federal High Court in Abuja and everything has been included in
that suit.
“We are challenging all the seizures because without prejudice
to our case, Mrs. Jonathan was neither a public officer nor a
contractor. So, the idea of harassing her beats my imagination.
“I don’t see the basis for the EFCC’s harassment of that woman
and the case wears a political toga because she was a formidable
element during the campaign.”
Patience first came under EFCC investigation in May 2016 when
the commission arrested a former Special Adviser to the President
on Domestic Affairs, Waripamowei Dudafa.
Mrs. Jonathan laid claim to about $15m found in bank accounts
allegedly belonging Dudafa’s domestic servants.
She subsequently sued Skye Bank Plc and the EFCC. The commission
then went ahead to freeze her personal account with a balance of
$5m.
The anti-graft agency had also frozen bank accounts belonging to
her relatives and friends including business mogul, Bola
Shagaya.
Her husband, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, had complained about the
harassment of his wife by the commission while Patience had also
written a petition to the House of Representatives asking the
lawmakers to caution the EFCC and stop harassing her and her
relatives.
Read more https://www.nairalaw.com/patience-jonathan-dares-efcc-recovers-n2bn-hotel/