Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, issued an order of final forfeiture of all assets of a private university, NOK University, in Kaduna State, to the Federal Government.
The physical assets of the university to be forfeited include the Senate building, ICT building, Faculty of Medicine building, Science Deanery building, two Academic buildings, a Faculty Hall and other buildings.
Justice Abdulmalik, made the pronouncement while delivering a judgment in a suit brought before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, against the defendant, Anthony Hassan.
EFCC had brought the matter before the court for final forfeiture as the court had in 2022 granted an interim forfeiture order on the assets.
Justice Abdulmalik held that the EFCC, through its counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, was able to convince the court beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant acquired the assets with proceeds of crime.
Hassan, the promoter of the university, alongside losing the private institution to the Federal Government, will also forfeit three other investments – Gwasmyen Water Factory, Gwasmyen International Hotel and Gwasmyen Event Centre all located in Kaduna.
Justice Abdulmalik in her judgment held that Hassan, a former Director of Finance and Accounts in the Federal Ministry of Health, failed to prove or convince the court that the assets were not acquired with proceeds of crime.
The court refused to accept Hassan and his company, KYC Inter-Project Limited”s claims that the assets were acquired with funds sourced from investors.
The judge also rejected the claim by one Victor Olisah that he owned the six plots of land on which Gwasmyen International Hotel was erected, on the grounds that he failed to establish his ownership of the land with credible evidence.
The judge held that Hassan and KYC failed woefully to show with the cogent documentary of events and financial trails, how they sourced funds to acquire the assets.
EFCC had dragged Hassan to court and argued that from its investigation, Hassan, who has always been a civil servant, used its position to confer undue advantage on himself.
The EFCC stated that Hassan, “who was a civil servant, rose through the ranks to become a Director in the Civil Service of the Federation.
“In the course of his career, he was posted to the Federal Ministry of Health from 2001 to 2008; the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs from 2009 to 2015; the Ministry of Niger Delta in 2015; the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development from 2015 to 2016; Ministry of Health from 2016 to 2019; and Ministry of Works and Housing from 2019 to 2020.”
It added that Hassan “was the Director of the Finance and Accounts Department in the Ministry of Health between 2016 and 2019 and was in charge of running the day-to-day activities of the Finance & Accounts Department of the Ministry.
“The first respondent (Hassan) is the owner of the NOK University Ltd (the university) Kachia, Kaduna State.
“The first respondent is also the owner of Gwasmyen International Hotel Events & Recreational Centre Ltd and Gwasmyen Water and Juice Company Nig. Ltd.
“The university was incorporated on 6th October 2021 with the wife and children of the first respondent as the directors and guarantors of the university but without the first respondent’s name.
“Apart from the funds deposited to secure the bank guarantee of the university, the first respondent funded the acquisition of the land on which the University was built as well as the buildings and structures on it.”
