A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the temporary forfeiture of $378,000 and a Mercedes Benz GLS 600 Maybach, linked to alleged unlawful activities, to the Federal Government.
The ruling was issued by Justice Emeka Nwite following a motion ex parte filed by Osuobeni Akponimisingha, counsel for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
Justice Nwite directed that the notice of forfeiture be published in a national daily, inviting interested parties to show cause why the assets should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
The court adjourned the matter until February 20, 2025, for a compliance report.
The assets in question were allegedly connected to Paul Chukwuma, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Fides Et Ratio Academy Limited. The ICPC’s motion, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1982/V/2024, listed Chukwuma, Prof. Dr. Klaus Stierstorfer, and Fides Et Ratio Academy Limited as the 1st to 3rd defendants.
ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Aliyu, SAN, sought a temporary forfeiture of the $378,000, restricted via a Post-No-Debit Order on the Zenith Bank account of Fides Et Ratio Academy Limited. He also sought the forfeiture of the luxury vehicle, claiming they were proceeds of unlawful activities.
Aliyu further requested that an escrow account be opened with the Central Bank of Nigeria in the name of the ICPC and Fides Et Ratio Academy Limited for the funds.
ICPC litigation officer Idris Abubakar revealed that the case stemmed from a petition alleging that the Tertiary Education Trust Fund had made payments to a contractor for unexecuted projects.
Investigations uncovered that TETFund entered into agreements with two companies, including Fides Et Ratio Academy Limited, to provide ICT services for tertiary institutions. Despite these agreements, TETFund reportedly bypassed procurement guidelines and directly engaged Fides Et Ratio Academy Limited.
Abubakar stated, “TETFund, through its Executive Secretary and the Honourable Minister for Education, secured approval for ICT support services funding totalling N15.25 billion from then-President Muhammadu Buhari.”
He further alleged that, “The academy only provided partial training for 391 out of 502 participants in the physical training phase, despite receiving full payment.
“The academy received over N1 billion for online training, which was never conducted.
“Evidence from beneficiary institutions showed no online training activities were carried out.”
The ICPC investigation uncovered significant financial irregularities in the Fides Et Ratio Academy Limited account:
– On June 30, 2023, N550,380,780.23 was received from TETFund. From this amount, N150 million was transferred to Globe Motors Holdings Nig. Ltd as a deposit for a Mercedes Benz GLS 600 Maybach.
– On July 26, 2023, another N1,503,743,850.00 was received from TETFund. An additional N150 million was transferred to Globe Motors Holdings Nig. Ltd for the same vehicle.
Abubakar added, “For the over N300 million transferred to Globe Motors Holdings Nig. Ltd, Mr. Paul Chukwuma claimed he communicated with his international partner, Prof. Dr. Klaus Stierstorfer, on the need to buy a car for the academy.”
Efforts to contact Stierstorfer have so far been unsuccessful, with ICPC investigators still pursuing leads to clarify Chukwuma’s claims.
The ICPC chair stated that the alleged activities caused hardship for Nigerians, particularly students, and that the assets in question should be forfeited to serve the public interest. Aliyu added, “Without an order of this honourable court, the applicant cannot legally recover the alleged moveable property into the commission’s recovery account domiciled with CBN.”
The ICPC maintained that granting the application would not prejudice the defendants, as it was brought in the interest of justice.
Justice Nwite’s ruling temporarily forfeits the funds and vehicle, pending further proceedings.
