ICPC secures forfeiture of N120m traced to teacher who earns N76k as monthly salary

A federal high court sitting in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of N120 million linked to the account of Roseline Egbuha, a primary school teacher and her accomplices.

The court ordered that the money as well as cars which form part of the N540 million proceeds of crime should be forfeited to the federal government.

According to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Egbuha was arrested in June 2020 for allegedly laundering N550 million.

At the time of her arrest in 2020, Egbuha, a teacher at Ozala primary school, Abagana, Anambra, was on a monthly salary of N76,000 and had N540 million stashed in her bank account with Guaranty Trust Bank.

The commission said her involvement in money laundering was discovered through additional investigations, which resulted in a Post-No-Debit (PND) on the account.

With a court order from the federal high court in Abuja, Egbuha and her associates were able to remove the PND, and the money was then swiftly divided and shifted into several bank accounts held by Bureaux de Change operators and private individuals.

The accomplices include James Erebouye, Emon Okune, Chisom Iwueke, Alonge Ojo, Maureen Chidimma, Owoyemi Mayowa, Ejeaka Ifeoma and two private companies.

They were charged to court for involving in fraudulent activities and warehousing proceeds of crime by the commission.

In a motion ex parte filed in 2021, Adesina Raheem, counsel to ICPC, alleged that the funds were proceeds of unlawful activities stashed away in six new generation banks by Egbuha and her associates. He prayed the court to order the final forfeiture of the money and cars to the federal government.

Ruling on the application, Donatus Okorowo, presiding judge, granted the prayers of the ICPC.

The forfeiture order includes N30.8 million in a Polaris Bank account of Dorason Construction Ltd, N17.4 million traced to a Sterling Bank account of James Erebouye and N16.4 million found in the Zenith Bank account of Dybako and Sons Nig Ltd.

Ojo, one of the accomplices, will also forfeit N14.1 million traced to two separate accounts with First Bank and Ecobank, respectively. Owoyemi, on her part, will forfeit N7.1 million held in Zenith Bank.

Furthermore, the final forfeiture order includes the sum of N8.2 million, N9.7 million, N6.5 million and N122,100 kept in different bank accounts by Emon Okune, Chisom Iwueke, Maureen Chidimma and Ejeaka Ifeoma respectively.

Other items forfeited by the respondents are Toyota Lexus and Venza sport utility vehicles.