Additional report by Damilola Ojetunde, Samson Samuel and Isah Abdul Azeez
SOME of the prominent Nigerians found to have owned properties in Dubai, a city in United Arab Emirate (UAE), also include Kanayo Olisa Metuh, the wife of former Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party; Umma Kalsum Turkur Buratai, wife of Tukur Buratai, the immediate Chief of Army State; Ibrahim Jimoh Folorunsho, the chairman and chief executive officer of Global Fleet Group and Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, founder and Pro-chancellor of the Baze University.
The ICIR had earlier published a report about properties belonging to Mustafa Balogun, a former Inspector General of Police, Olisa Metuh, Attahiru Bafarawa, former governor of Sokoto State as well as Orji Uzor Kalu, the former governor of Abia State and senator in the 9th Assembly.
Centre for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS), a US-based nonprofit newsroom, shared a dataset with The ICIR which was first published Saturday, February 20.
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Kanayo Olisa Metuh
Kanayo Olisa Metuh is the wife of the jailed former PDP Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh. She owns two properties including hotel apartments located at Fakhrudeen Hotel Apartment and the Summit in Dubai.
Metuh, her husband was convicted on February 25, 2020, by Okon Abang, a judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Metuh was found guilty among others to have fraudulently received N400 million from the Office of the National Security Adviser in November 2014.
Following a review of the High Court’s judgement by the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, Metuh was discharged of the sentence.
On December 16, 2020, the Appeal ruled set aside the conviction handed down on him by Abang citing bias, without considering the merits in the money laundering case.
He was later sentenced to seven years in jail.
According to the judge, Metuh’s wife was among the recipients of the N400 million taken from the Office of the former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki.
She was reported to have been giving N50 million.
Umma Kalsum Turkur Buratai
Umma Kalsum Turkur Buratai is the wife of the immediate past Chief of Army Staff, lieutenant-general Tukur Buratai.
According to C4ADS’s database, Buratai owns one apartments at Wyndham Hotel Dubai Marina Tfg.
The former COAS in defending his family ownership of luxurious properties in Dubai during an interview with BBC HARDtalk interview with Stephen Sackur in 2017 said his family made an investment in properties in the Middle East city in 2013 after details of the properties became public leading to a scandal surrounding his asset declaration.
According to him, “Substantial property is just an investment, my family do their own private business they should afford to have such property in Dubai.”
When pressed during the interview about the type of property, he said, “The type of property you are talking about is not the ones people are talking about. The property I invested was far back as 2013 before I became the chief of army staff, I never dreamt of becoming the chief of army staff and people are accusing me as if it is today.”
Ibrahim Jimoh Folorunsho
Ibrahim Jimoh Folorunsho is a lawyer, businessman and Chief Executive officer of Global Fleet Oil and Gas Limited.
In November 2020, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) froze the bank accounts of the controversial businessman and also took over some of his assets over his N69 billion debts.
AMCON took over the properties from the businessman following an order granted by Justice R.M. Aikawa of the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The properties seized from the businessman by the agency include the building housing NICON Investment Limited at Plot 242, Muhammadu Buhari Way, Central Business District, Abuja; NICON Hotels Limited building at Plot 557, Port-Harcourt Crescent, off Gimbiya Street, Abuja and the building of NICON Lekki Limited also at No. 5, Customs Street, Lagos.
Others are the building of Abuja International Hotels Limited located at No. 3, Hospital Road, Lagos; another property at Plot 242, Muhammadu Buhari Way, Abuja; the former Allied Bank Building on Mile 2, Oshodi Expressway, Apapa Road, Lagos; Energy House located on No. 94, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos; NICON Building at No. 40, Madeira Street, Maitama, Abuja; a residential apartment at Road 2, House A14, Victoria Garden City, Lagos; NICON Hotels Building at Plot 3, Road 3, Victoria Garden City, Lagos as well as the NICON Luxury Hotel’s Building, Garki I, FCT, Abuja.
In response to AMCON action, Jimoh Ibrahim in a press statement alleged that the agency obtained by deceit the interim court order of injunction it got in respect of some properties, majority of which did not belong to him.
He also went to the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court urging it to set aside the order for non-disclosure and misrepresentation of material facts.
He further urged the court to order AMCON to pay N50 billion indemnity for its alleged failure to conduct due diligence before obtaining the said order and for misrepresentation and concealment of fact.
But the Lagos Court in its ruling on the 16th of February, 2021 declined the application to vacate the interim order used by the AMCON to seize the properties belonging to him for an alleged N69.4 billion debts.
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The ICIR records show that Ibrahim currently owns 22 apartments/flat, amongst the highest at Ocean Heights in Dubai, UAE capital.
Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed
Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed is a politician, founder of Baze University Abuja and a former member of Nigeria’s National Assembly.
The Kaduna State former house of representative and senate member was also a former staff at the Security Printing and Minting before entering politics.
He was also one of those who opposed Former President Olusegun Obasanjo third term bid agenda at the National Assembly.
According to the records available to The ICIR, Datti owns the highest number of properties at 22.
Olayinka works with The ICIR as the Social Media Manager, Reporter and Fact-checker. You can shoot him an email via [email protected]. You can as well follow him on Twitter via @BelloYinka72