Witness narrates how Ex-HoS, allies diverted public funds to private companies in court
Court orders EFCC to seize Nora Johnson’s assets
By Joseph Ayinde
A Federal High Court, Hon. Justice A. Lewis Allagoa of Lagos Division has ordered the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) to take possession of all property owned by Ms Nora Johnson.
The anti-graft agency had received a petition over some infractions allegedly committed by Ms Johnson in her former office.
It was learnt that Ms Johnson was accused of over-invoicing on the purchase of vehicles, inflating air ticket fares and more, and the amount in local and foreign currencies was in excess of N1 billion. This then prompted the interim forfeiture of some properties and bank accounts on the order of Justice A.M. Liman on February 16, 2021, following an application on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria by the EFCC.
However, on March 21, 2021, Ms Johnson and the other Respondents in the suit: Babajide Aremu Johnson, Olabose Ibrahim Falobi, Steve Nnamdi Izebu, Steve Ibem and Bakoliza Limited, went to court to suspend or stay execution on Justice Liman’s order.
They had sought an order to discharge the interim order of forfeiture of assets, an order discharging the final forfeiture, and any other orders as deemed fit by the court.
In his judgement, after hearing J.O. Adeyemi Counsel for the Applicant/Respondent and V.C. Nwokafor Counsel for the 1st, 2nd and 6th Respondent/Applicants, Justice Allagoa ordered that the motion of Ms Johnson and the other Respondents dated March 12, 2021, is “hereby set aside”.
The judgement delivered on July 15, 2021, stated further: “That the order of Justice Liman stands in all its ramifications”, and “That the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is entitled to take possession of all that property subject of the Order of my Lord A.M. Liman on the 16th day of February 2021”.
Ms Johnson then released a video that went viral, where she was seen wailing, gnashing her teeth, and making wild allegations against her former employers. Those who are aware of this unfortunate incident, believe that Ms Johnson’s display in the video was simply a calculated, underhand attempt to blackmail her former employers and garner sympathy for herself in the court of public opinion, on account of her melodramatic display which was nothing more than a last-ditch attempt to escape liability, and prevent the Federal Government from taking possession of her assets purportedly acquired from the proceeds of fraud perpetrated against her former office, as was ordered by the court.
EFCC sources say her fellow conspirators have refunded over N400 million of the money allegedly misappropriated, proof of a prima facie case against her.
Discerning members of the public are, therefore, wondering why she won’t prove her innocence in court if indeed, she believes there is no case against her, or that she is being witch-hunted. However, Ms Nora Johnson has since recanted that she and her co-conspirators have repaid some funds.
The EFCC has confirmed that N507 million has been recovered from Ms Johnson and her co-conspirators, the Sierra Leonean woman involved in the case of the Billion Naira fraud against her former employers. It was gathered that while Ms Johnson refunded N100m on account of her involvement in the fraud to the EFCC, some of her co-conspirators in the years-long racket refunded N400 million, while another accused person refunded N7 million on behalf of Ms Johnson. According to the EFCC source, she reneged on paying the expected balance, which led to her present predicament.
