Former chairperson of NSITF, Ngozi Olejeme, forfeits 48 properties

Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, July 1, 2020, ordered the interim forfeiture of 48 choice properties, allegedly belonging to the former chairperson of Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Funds, NSITF, Ngozi Olejeme.

The affected properties are spread across the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Bayelsa, Enugu, Edo and Delta states.

Mrs Olejeme who was also the Treasurer of the Jonathan-Sambo Campaign Organisation in 2015 has been on the run since 2016 and was in September, 2017, declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC for criminal conspiracy, abuse of o?ce, diversion of public funds and money laundering.

She was alleged to have, along with Umar Munir Abubakar, former managing director of NSITF, mismanaged and diverted over N69 billion, belonging to the federal government into their personal accounts through the award of spurious contracts to proxy companies.

The EFCC in 2016, received two petitions detailing multi-billion naira fraud allegations against Mrs Olejeme, who was NSITF chairman from 2009 to 2015, along with Mr Abubakar and some bureau-de-change operators.

The forfeiture order was granted after counsel to the EFCC, Ekele Iheanacho, convinced the court that the said properties were purchased with proceeds of crime. He buttressed his position with 14 exhibits, attached to his affidavit, filed on May 29, 2020.