After many years of legal actions and investigation, the Abuja Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday finally handed over documents of 324 houses recovered for Kano State pensioners to them.
The handing over of the houses, occasioned by a final forfeiture order granted by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court sitting Abuja, was a result of successful investigations carried out by the commission over a N4.1billion Pension Trust Fund contributed by the pensioners to own houses, which was reportedly denied them by two successive administrations in Kano State.
The Commission investigated a petition by Concerned Kano State Workers and Pensioners of alleged misappropriation of pension funds in the state. Findings by the EFCC showed that the state government entered into a tripartite agreement with the Kano State Pension Trust Fund to build housing estates for an aggregate sum of N41billion , out of which the Pension Trust Fund was to contribute N4.1billion.
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A statement by EFCC Spokesman, Dele Oyewale, alleged however that the contribution of the pensioners was used to build the houses in three estates located in Sheikh Ja’afar Mahmud Adam Bandirawo city, Sheikh Nasiru Kabara (Amana) city and Sheikh Khalifa Ishaq Rabiu city, all in Kano but discounted and sold to cronies and associates of two former governors, leaving the pension trustees with low budget and uncompleted houses.
The EFCC consequently stepped in and upon completion of investigation, filed for and secured a final forfeiture order of the 324 properties to the Kano State Pension Fund Trustees.
While handing over the documents of the 324 properties worth N4.1billion to the pensioners on Monday, the Abuja Zonal Commander of the EFCC, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, Adeniyi Adebayo, assured that the EFCC would continue to do its best to rid the nation of fraudulent practices.
Representatives of the Kano State Pension Board, Alhaji Hassan Muhammed Aminu, Kubra Ahmad Bichi and Salisu Yakubu Abubakar, who received the documents on behalf of the workers and pensioners, expressed satisfaction with the EFCC for assisting them in recovering their houses.
