Nigeria’s EFCC, on Saturday, December 14, marked properties belonging to former Abia State governor, Orji Uzor Kalu. In a statement released, the antigraft agency says the marking is to ensure that the properties are not dissipated, following the December 5, 2019 order of Justice Muhammed Idris sitting at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos that Kalu’s company, Slok Nigeria Limited, be wound up and all assets forfeited to the Federal Government.
Kalu, who is currently the Senator representing Abia North in the National Assembly, was arraigned alongside his company, Slok Nigeria Limited and Udeh Udeogu, his Director of Finance and Accounts at the Abia State Government House, over an amended 39-count charge bordering on conspiring and diverting the sum of N7.65bn from the coffers of the state.
He was found guilty by the court on December 5 and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. The presiding judge had ordered Kalu to forfeit all the properties belonging to his company to the Federal government.
But the management of The Sun Newspapers, owned by Kalu, has kicked against the action by EFCC, saying there was no legal basis for what it did.
The Sun, in a statement, said three EFCC officials, with four heavily armed policemen came to its office located on 2, Coscharis Street, Kirikiri Industrial Layout, Apapa, Lagos on Saturday, December 14, 2019 at about 10.00am and put up a notice for staff and the general public to keep off the premises.
Arguing that it did not understand the legal basis for the EFCC action, the Sun Management said, “It is on record that there is a pending appeal at the Supreme Court with Suit No: SC/546/2018 wherein The Sun Publishing Limited appealed against the judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal on the interim forfeiture order made against it by a Federal High Court in 2007 based on ex-parte proceeding.