Hakeem Otiki: Court orders interim forfeiture of $376,120 traced to Army chief
- The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered an interim forfeiture of a huge fund traced to Major General Hakeem Otiki
- The court asked the EFCC to publish the interim forfeiture order in a national daily to notify anyone who wants to claim it within 14 days
- The anti-graft agency had accused Otiki of acquiring the fund through illegal means
The trial of the embattled senior Army officer, Major General Hakeem Otiki, continues as the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered an interim forfeiture of $376, 120 (N136,155,440) traced to him.
The court granted the order following the application from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The court directed the EFCC to publish the interim forfeiture order in a national daily so that anyone who claims the money belongs to him will be notified and appear before the court to defend his/her claim within 14 days.
Source: UGC
The argument of the anti-graft agency in court was that the money was illegally acquired by Otiki.
The senior Army officer was accused of being the one who in 2019 detailed some soldiers to provide VIP escort from Sokoto to Kaduna for one Alhaji Ado Aliyu, alongside the sum of N400 million.
The soldiers, however, reportedly fled with the money with their whereabouts unknown.
Other various allegations have also been levelled against Otiki who had once served as the chief accounting officer in a division in the Nigerian Army.
Vanguard reports that the case has been adjourned till February 24.
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Legit.ng had reported the commencement of the trial of Otiki who is also a former General Officer Commanding (GOC) 8 Division in Sokoto, over theft of N400 million and misconduct.
Otiki is facing a five-count charge bordering on disobedience to military order and diversion of the said sum before the General Court Martial (GCM) sitting at Asokoro, Abuja.
According to a source, although the defence counsel did not object to the charges instituted against the former GOC, he pleaded not guilty to all of them.
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Source: Legit.ng
