Brigadier General Jaffaru Mohammed, the Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the NSA (ONSA), Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd) is the officer being linked with the outrageous 24 properties which was adjudged as proceeds of crime.
General Mohammed has been standing trial for alleged conspiracy, stealing and money laundering by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The 24 properties forfeited to the federal government through the EFCC are scattered across Kano, Kaduna, Borno and Cross River States and they comprise of land, shopping complex, gas station and nine fuel stations, cumulatively valued at N10, 935,000,000.00. (Ten Billion, Nine Hundred and Thirty-Five Million Naira).
Justice N.E. Maha of the Federal High Court on Monday February 14, ordered the final forfeiture of 24 properties held by fronts and proxies to a top military officer, to the Federal Government of Nigeria in pursuant to a forfeiture application by the EFCC which had in May 2020 secured the forfeiture of the properties on interim basis.
The properties are:
1. A 16 Pump filling Station located at Rijiyar Lemo, Kano.
2. A Filling Station with 41 pumps located opposite Federal Secretariat, Kano.
3. A Filling Station with 39 pumps located along BUK Road, Kano.
4. A Filling Station with 31 pumps located along Zaria Bypass, Kano.
5. A Filling Station with 31 pumps located along Maiduguri Bypass, Kano.
6. A Filling Station with 29 pumps located along Maiduguri Bypass, Kano.
7. A Filling Station with 23 pumps located along Naibawa , Kano.
8. A Filling Station with 39 pumps located along Bachirawa, Kano.
9. A Filling Station with 51 pumps and a one-storey building with 35 shops attached to the Filling Station located along Shiek Ja’afar Road Dorayi, Kano.
10. An LPG plant with 30 shops attached to it located along Zaria Road, Kano.
11. Marhaba Event Centre, Guda Abdullahi Road, Farm Centre, Kano.
12. A three storey building (Plaza) With 28 shops located on Hadeja Road, next to Sheshe Supermarket , Kano.
13. A three-storey building (Plaza) with 126 shops located on Audu Bako Way, Opposite Nation Plaza, Kano.
14. Classic Block Industry at Maiduguri Road, Kano.
15. Atlasfield Corporate Headquarters, No. L6 Ahmadu Bello Way, Kaduna.
16. Undeveloped plot located at Sharada, Adjacent A.A. Rano Filling Station, Kano.
17. Undeveloped plot located at Yan Rake, Adjacent Dala Orthopedic Hospital, Kano.
18. Undeveloped plot located along Kano-Gwarzo Road, Adjacent Kedco Regional Office, Kano North/Opposite Silver Spoon Restaurant, Kano.
19. Undeveloped plot located along Kano-Gwarzo Road, opposite Markaz Mosque, Kano.
20. Undeveloped plot located on Sani Marshal Road, Opposite Nissan Automobile, Kano.
21. 11.7 hectares located Adjacent TINAPA Resort, Adiabo, Calabar. 22. Truck Assembly Plant, Easter Bypass, Kano.
23. Event Center located in Calabar, Cross River State.
24. Aflac Plastics Limited located behind National Eye Center, Kaduna.
But General Mohammed has been fighting his arrest and arraignment through show of force, petitions and write ups in the media by his cronies. For example, he had characterized his prosecution by the EFCC for alleged conspiracy, stealing and money laundering, writing a petition against the EFCC lead investigating team, CSP Sanusi Allyu Mohammed for “witch-haunt and personal vendetta.”
In the petition dated May 6, 2021 and addressed to the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, Jaffaru requested a review of the investigation of the case against him by a different team.
Titled: ‘Petition Against CSP Sanusi Aliyu Mohammed And His Team At The EFCC,’ Jafaru chronicled his travails in the hands of the EFCC official following the sack of its former Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, noting that the development did not only cause him his promotion in the Army, but also led to subjecting his immediate family to harassment.
According to the embattled Army officer, “it was brought to my attention last year that Magu, had initiated an investigation against me for alleged conspiracy, stealing and money laundering to which I responded on June 18, 2020.
“I understand there were other reports, which have not been made available to me till this day to enable me to respond adequately, but following an invitation, I presented myself to the EFCC, in my belief in the constitutional presumption of innocence and the right to fair hearing.”
Mohammed explained that contrary to his expectations and cooperation with the EFCC operatives, “it became clear that my case is a subject of witch-hunting, personal vendetta and a pawn in a complex web of power game orchestrated by Magu through CSP Mohammed of the Kano Command of EFCC.
“I believe that the investigation was part of Magu’s attempt to square up with his perceived enemies in government and has continued to influence his former members of staff in the EFCC after his removal from office.”
He further stated that notwithstanding the sensitive nature of his office, he presented myself to the EFCC for two days before and was interrogated by a five-man team of operatives for over 13 hours on each day.
“But unable to substantiate their claim against me and in order to find justification to embarrass and harass me, CSP Mohammed and his team conducted an unauthorised search of my residence and in the process, violated my right to privacy and dignity,” he added.
He said copies of the petition were sent to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief of Staff (COS) to the President, Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff and Inspector General of the Police (IGP), among others, insisting that nothing incriminating was found after series of investigations by CPS Sanusi.
And he showed his powers as on Wednesday May 27, 2021, soldiers acting on his orders threatened to shoot officials of the EFCC that came to mark properties seized from him following the interim forfeiture from a Federal High Court in Abuja on March 11, 2021.
The soldiers arrived in a white Hilux marked GWA481EA after a team of EFCC officials began marking his building located on 52 Main Street, Sun City, in red paint, chasing them away. The soldiers then took a bucket of water and soap and quickly cleaned off the markings which read, ‘EFCC Under Investigation, Keep Off!”
And soldiers were on guard to prevent EFCC officials from marking other properties linked to him.
Justice Folashade Ogunbanjo had in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/007/2021 ordered the interim forfeiture of eight properties linked to General Mohammed, a trusted aide to the NSA, General Moguno.
In March 2021, his media handlers had circulated and widely published an article titled: EFCC and Gen Jafaru: Is it witch-hunt or fighting corruption?’
The article authored by Armiyau Isah pushed the narrative that the properties are holdings “of individuals within his social circle and in which he has no interest whatsoever.”