The Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has directed the Enugu Zonal Office of the commission to find and locate an uncompleted four-bedroom bungalow recovered from a fraudster in Enugu, SaharaReporters has learned.
SaharaReporters reported on Thursday that Ohha Microfinance Bank Limited had issued an ultimatum to the EFCC, demanding that the anti-graft agency produce an uncompleted four-bedroom bungalow recovered from a fraudster within three months.
The bank claims that a court ordered the sale of the property and payment to the bank in 2019, but the EFCC has yet to comply.
In a pre-action notice dated January 28, 2025, which SaharaReporters obtained on Wednesday morning, the bank warned that it would sue the EFCC and seek N100 million in compensation if the property is not produced within the stipulated timeframe.
SaharaReporters gathered on Friday morning that the EFCC Chairman, following the pre-action notice on Thursday, gave a directive to Enugu Zonal Head to locate the said property and hand over the proceeds to the bank without delay.
A source within the commission informed SaharaReporters that the chairman expressed strong disappointment in his warning, lamenting the officials’ actions.
“We received a directive from the chairman to search and locate the property immediately,” the source said.
Meanwhile, the bank’s counsel confirmed to SaharaReporters that he received a call from the Enugu office of the EFCC, indicating that their pre-action notice had been officially recorded for immediate action.
“They called me from EFCC now, that the Chairman minuted the pre-action notice to them that they should locate the property immediately,” the counsel said.
Meanwhile, the pre-action notice, signed by Olu Omotayo Esq, on behalf of the bank reminded the EFCC chairman of the bank’s petition dated February 9, 2024, which requested the zonal office to investigate the matter.
The EFCC had previously convicted a former bank manager, Oliver Anidiobi, for diverting N219 million from Ohha Microfinance Bank. Anidiobi was found guilty of using the funds to build a block of flats, acquire plots of land, and construct an uncompleted four-bedroom bungalow.
“… matter was investigated by the Enugu Zonal office of the Commission and the suspect Oliver Anidiobi charged to the court by the Commission on 7th May 2019, in Charge Number: E/162C/19, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA VS. ANIDIOBI OLIVER CHUWUKA,” the bank explained.
“At the conclusion of the trial, accused person was sentenced to eight years, imprisonment and three properties which he acquired with the proceeds of the crimes ordered to be attached and sold and the proceeds be paid to Ohha Microfinance Bank Ltd.
“It should be noted that when EFCC operatives led I and our clients’ officials to identify the three properties, it was surprising that EFCC operatives stated that they could not identify one of the properties again, which is an uncompleted four-bedroom bungalow at Centenary City, Enugu.
“Based on our insistence that how could a landed property recovered from a convict develop wings and disappear into thin air, the Commission thereafter approached the Court which gave an Order that the Controller of Corrections, Enugu State should allow the officials of the EFCC to interview the Convict Anidiobi Oliver Chukwuka, and identify the four-bedroom bungalow at the Centenary City Enugu, being one of the properties traced and attached from the convict pursuant to the Judgment of the Honorable Court delivered on the 2nd November 2019.
“The bank is fed up that over five years after the conviction of the fraudster, the Commission could not show the property which was an exhibit tendered and reported to the court to have been seized from the convict.”
The bank expressed regret over not yet receiving a response from the Commission, highlighting that the actions of the Commission’s officials were not only fraudulent but also a perversion of justice.
It noted that these actions were intended to deprive the bank of the court-ordered judgment it had obtained, further emboldening the convict, Oliver Anidiobi, who, as manager of Sterling Bank, defrauded the bank of N219 million.
EFCC has recently recorded cases of theft in some of its offices.
SaharaReporters reported on January 22, that the EFCC had launched a manhunt for an officer in charge of exhibit room of the Kaduna Zonal office, who reportedly stole over $30,000 and other valuable exhibits.
The agency recently detained 10 officials over alleged theft of operational items.
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