EFCC Seizes N872m Houses From Ex
FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed & His
Son (Photo)
The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) has seized four
houses worth N872 million from a
former Minister of the Federal Capital
Territory, Sen. Bala Mohammed, and
his son, Shamsudeen Bala.
The ex-minister is also under
investigation on alleged fictitious
contracts of about N1billion,
allocation of 12 choice plots worth
billions of naira and 37 other
commercial plots of land worth about
N8 billion to his suspected front
named Tariq Hammoud as well as the
controversial N1 trillion Abuja land
swap.
More than 16 companies linked with
fictitious contracts awarded by Bala
had been under surveillance and their
owners grilled by EFCC.
The anti-graft agency quizzed
Shamsudeen, Hammoud and top
directors of the Federal Capital
Territory administration, including
that of Treasury, Ibrahim Bomoi;
Land, Babayo Mainasara, and Abuja
Geographical Information Service
(AGIS), Ms Jamila Tangaza.
Tangaza, who had been in detention
in the past one week, was battling for
bail as at press time.
She has, however, been linked to
N800 million questionable contracts
to her personal firm apart from
benefiting from plots of land from the
ex-minister.
According to investigations, the
ongoing probe of the ex-minister
followed petitions against him,
including complaints pending since
2013.
It was gathered that following
preliminary findings, EFCC obtained
an interim forfeiture order to
confiscate a N650 million house at 1
and 3, Mariam Mukhtar Street,
Asokoro.
The same forfeiture order was secured
to seize the ex-minister’s son three
duplexes costing about N222 million
in the Apo Area of Abuja.
A top source in EFCC, who spoke in
confidence, said: “We are probing the
immediate past Minister of FCT on
many allegations against him,
including award of N1 billion
fictitious contracts; abuse of office by
allocating 12 choice plots to his son
and 37 other commercial plots worth
about N8 billion to Hammoud, who is
suspected to be his front; land swap,
among others.
“Some of the petitions against Bala
Mohammed had been pending since
2013. Initial findings showed that the
ex-minister used fictitious companies
to award contracts worth N1 billion
in FCT. In one instance, a man with
three companies was allowed to bid
for one slot.
“About 16 companies used for
fictitious contracts are under
investigation because they did not
supply items credited to them.
“We have also uncovered how Bala
allocated plots of land to his friends,
business partners.
For examples, he allocated 12 plots of
land to his son, Shamsudeen, and 37
commercial plots of land to his
business front called Tariq Hammoud.
“Some of those quizzed so far
confessed that Bala used
unconventional methods in raking
illicit funds and laundering same.
Each time the ex-minister allocated a
plot of land, he would find out the
market value and ask you to pay half
of the amount to him in cash.
“For instance if a plot of land was N2
billion, Bala would ask for N1 billion
cash from the prospective buyer. He
was smart in collecting cash.
“But the EFCC has traced allocation of
37 commercial plots to Hammoud and
how N8billion was made from it. In
fact, we saw a proposal by Tariq
Hammoud to sell some of the plots.
“So far, our operatives have arrested,
detained and quizzed Shamsudeen. He
is presently on administrative bail.
We have also interrogated
Hammoud.”
Responding to a question, the source
said: “Based on substantial findings,
we approached the court to obtain an
interim forfeiture order to seize a
N650million from the ex-FCT
Minister.
“What happened was that the former
minister allocated some plots of land
to Aso Savings and they bought the
N650 million house for him at Nos. 1
and 3, Mariam Mukhtar Street,
Asokoro District.
“The EFCC has confiscated three
duplexes totalling N222million which
were acquired by the ex-minister’s
son.
“We invoked sections 28 and 34 of the
EFCC (Establishment Act) 2004 and
Section 13(1) of the Federal High
Court Act, 2004 which empower the
anti-graft agency to invoke Interim
Assets Forfeiture Clause.
“Section 28 of the EFCC Act reads:
‘Where a person is arrested for an
offence under this Act, the
Commission shall immediately trace
and attach all the assets and
properties of the person acquired as a
result of such economic or financial
crime and shall thereafter cause to be
obtained an interim attachment order
from the Court.’”
On the fate of the ex-minister, the
source said: “We are investigating
him, we are yet to invite him for
questioning. Certainly, we are closing
in on him.”
The source added that EFCC had
grilled top directors of the FCT
administration. “As for Ms Jamila
Tangaza, we arrested and detained her
because she was connected with the
land scam and abuse of office.
“The ex-minister asked her to resign
her appointment with BBC and
appointed her as a Senior Special
Assistant on Media and Information.
But Bala allocated some plots of land
to her to sell in order to acquire a
mansion in Asokoro District too. Her
house was allegedly worth
N158million.
“Also, Jamila allegedly abused her
office by awarding N800million
contracts to her company which is
called Songbird Multimedia.
“Her case was interesting. When she
registered the company with the
Corporate Affairs Commission, she
used a fictitious name as the CEO of
the company but she is the sole
signatory to the company’s account
and her phone number is the point of
contact with the firm.
“We have sent her signature on CAC
document and other specimen
signatures collected from her to a
forensic laboratory. Following a court
order, we detained her in the past few
days but as at Friday, she was
pleading that we should grant her
bail. We are looking into her request.”
The top source denied insinuations
that the ex-BBC correspondent was
handcuffed when she was taken to her
office for a search.
The source added: “You can verify
from her what transpired. From
custody in EFCC, we went with her to
her office to recover some documents.
We used the EFCC bus but along the
way, she begged us to park the bus
away from the vicinity of AGIS where
she is a director. She did not want her
staff and others to notice that she was
brought to the office by EFCC team.
“We obliged her request by parking
outside AGIS. We also didn’t allow
policemen in uniform to follow her to
the office. We assigned plain-clothe
operatives and even asked her if she
wanted the only lady in our team to
follow her so that Jamila can blend
with the crowd in AGIS without
anyone suspecting anything.
“She said all plain clothe operatives
can follow her. We did not put her in
handcuffs. This is the extent we went
based on her request to protect her
reputation and integrity. The story of
Jamila being handcuffed was
rubbish.
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