Court Orders Interim Forfeiture of N1.1bn Linked to Kano State Government in ICPC Probe

Court has ordered for the interim forfeiture of N1.1bn linked to Kano State Government over alleged illegal withdrawals.

NewsOnline Nigeria repots that the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the interim forfeiture of ₦1.1 billion allegedly linked to the Kano State Government over suspected illegal withdrawals from state funds.

Justice Emeka Nwite issued the order on Tuesday after granting an ex parte application filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The judge described the application as meritorious and ruled that the funds should be temporarily forfeited pending the determination of the substantive case.

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The court also directed that the forfeiture order be published in a national newspaper, inviting any interested party to appear and show cause why the money should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government. The matter was adjourned to January 21, 2026, for a report on compliance with the publication order.

According to court documents, the sum of ₦1.109 billion was recovered during investigations into a petition alleging unlawful cash withdrawals from the Kano State Federation Account domiciled with United Bank for Africa (UBA).

The ICPC told the court that the funds were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities. An affidavit deposed to by one David Nelson stated that concerned Kano residents had petitioned the commission, alleging that about ₦2.3 billion was withdrawn in cash and diverted for purposes unrelated to government business.

Investigators reportedly traced the authorisation of the payments to the Kano State Accountant-General, Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, with the funds allegedly transferred to two bureau de change operators.

The commission further alleged that the transactions were disguised as payments for diesel supplies, purportedly backed by letters of authority from A.Y. Maikifi Oil & Gas Ltd and Ammas Petroleum Company Ltd. However, the managing directors of both companies reportedly told investigators that no such contracts existed and that no diesel was supplied.

The ICPC said it recovered the ₦1.1 billion in instalments and urged the court to preserve the funds in the interest of justice pending the conclusion of the forfeiture proceedings.