Judge foils Yakubu’s bid to retrieve forfeited $9.8m

Zainab Abubakar, justice of the federal high court, Kano, has rejected an application filed by Andrew Yakubu, former group managing director (GMD) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), seeking the retrieval of his forfeited monies.

In February, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recovered $9.8m and £74, 000 from an obscure building of the former NNPC chief in Kaduna.

The anti-graft agency then approached the court for an order of interim forfeiture, which was granted.

But Ahmed Raji, counsel to Yakubu, filed an application, asking the court to set aside the order on the premise that it had no jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

But the application was dismissed on Wednesday.

Yakubu is currently facing charges of money laundering before a federal high court in Abuja.