Ex-Minister Orubebe Loses property To FG

Former Minister Godsday Orubebe has been ordered to forfeit his landed property to the federal government.

The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), handed down the order of seizure and forfeiture of the landed property allegedly belonging to a former Minister of the Niger Delta, Godsday Orubebe, for failure to declare it while he held sway as a minister. 

The Federal Government had dragged Orubebe before the tribunal on one count charge of non declaration of landed property situate at Plot 2057, Asokoro district, which has been ordered to be taken over by the government.

 Orubebe had earlier told the tribunal that the land no longer belonged to him, having transferred same to one Akinwumi Ajibola in lieu of his (Orubebe) two years house rent in Mabushi where he stayed as a minister. 

According to him, all the documents as it concerns the land had been transferred to Ajibola, including the Power of Attorney. 

Danladi Umar, the chairman of the tribunal however held in his judgement, that having analysed the submissions of parties, it was observed that six years after the transfer had been made, the documents of the land are yet to be registered in Lands registry. 

He further held that the prosecution had established its case beyond reasonable doubt, and that the defendant is under obligation to register the land in the land registry in Abuja, which was not done. 

According to him, “Failure to register the document at the land registry render the transfer null. In the circumstance, the defendant is still the owner of the said plot 2057, Asokoro District, and not Barrister Akinwumi Ajibola who testified as the Defense Witness 1. 

“Based on the provision of Section 23 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, plot 2057, Asokoro District belonging to the defendant is hereby confiscated and forfeited to the Federal Government”.