Civil Servant Arraigned Over Ownership Of 86 Exotic Cars, 4 Luxurious Houses In Abuja

The Federal Government, on Thursday, arraigned the Director of Finance and Account in the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Ibrahim Tumsah over his alleged failure to declare his ownership of 86 exotic cars. 

He was docked before the Federal High Court in Abuja alongside his brother Mr. Tijani Tumsah who was a member of the Presidential Committee on North East Initiative and a former Interim National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC.  The duo however pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge that was prepared by the Chief Okoi Obono-Obla-led Special Presidential Investigation Panel on the Recovery of Public Property. 

FG disclosed that out of the 86 vehicles that were seized from the defendants, 23 of them were amoured and brand new. Equally seized from the defedants were four houses and a quarry plant in Abuja. Meanwhile, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba granted the defendants bail to the tune of N20million with two sureties. The court said the sureties must either be a business man or a public civil servant not below the rank of grade level 15, and must own landed properties anywhere in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). 

Besides, the court ordered the defendants to surrender their international passports, stressing that they should not travel out of the country without permission. Justice Dimgba directed that the defendants should be remanded in Kuje prison in the event that they failed to perfect their bail conditions within three days. The case was subsequently adjourned till March 1 for trial. 

It will be recalled that Justice Muawiyah Idris of an Abuja High Court at Apo had on December 6, 2017, ordered that the 86 luxurious vehicles, as well as the four houses and quarry plant in Kuje Abuja, should in the interim, be forfeited to the government. 

The forfeiture order equally affected four houses, two of which were located in Wuse II, one in Wuse Zone 7, and the other in Jabi, all in Abuja. Eight containers with household items also seized by the panel from the 2nd defendant were also affected by the court order. The 86 vehicles, the landed assets, and the other items were said to have been found on November 17, 2017, in a warehouse located at No 22 Igbani Street, Jabi, Abuja.