Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has mandated the final forfeiture of Sunflower Hotel Ltd, a multi-million-naira property in Kaduna State, linked to Prof. Vincent Tenebe, the former Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), to the Nigerian government.
The order was issued following a motion for final forfeiture filed on June 21 by EFCC counsel F.O. Dibang. In his ruling, Justice Ekwo stated, “Order is hereby made forfeiting the property set out in the attached schedule, found in possession of the respondent, as properties reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities, to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Previously, on February 16, the court had granted an interim preservation order for the hotel, instructing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to publicize the order to allow any claimants to come forward.
According to reports, an affidavit by EFCC operative Dare Opeyemi indicated that the commission received intelligence in December 2022 regarding a conspiracy involving the theft and diversion of funds linked to Monday Onyeme, former Chairman of the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue, and Adamu Danlami, who remains at large.
Investigations revealed that Onyeme was involved in diverting NOUN funds to various companies, including Crossbill International Ltd. Further findings connected Prof. Tenebe to this diversion, showing that approximately N275,081,896.09 traced to his account was used to fund the construction of Sunflower Hotel Ltd, a property acquired from his brother-in-law in Kaduna.
During the publication period, no claims were made on the hotel, and the EFCC argued that finalizing the forfeiture was in the public interest. The case, referenced as FHC/ABJ/CS/33/2024, names the EFCC as the applicant and Sunflower Hotel Ltd as the respondent.