The presidency has revealed its plan to publicise a list of 200 individuals alleged to have corruptly enriched themselves with public properties.
Okoi Obono-Obla, the special assistant to the president on prosecution, made this statement during the launch a software application for the tracking of illicit properties by a Civil Society Organisation, the African Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, on Thursday, July 12, 2018.
The report which was published by Daily Trust, did not state whether the individuals whose names the presidency plans to publish had been convicted of crimes in a court of law.
It also did not specify level of investigations conducted to determine the Corrupt nature of the said properties.
Obono-Obla who is also the chairman of the Special Investigation Panel on the Recovery of Public Property could not be reached on his phone line by this reporter.
According to the report, the current owners of the properties will either be asked to relinquish their possession of the said properties or explain how they came to be its owners.
“Let them tell us where they got the money to build these massive properties. If they cannot explain, let them quietly return it to Nigerians,” said Mr. Obono-Obla.
The report adds that David Ugolor, the Executive Director of the CSO, said a function of the property tracker will be to map and share the details of property owners in specific areas of Abuja.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on July 5, 2018, signed the Executive Order six which empowers the Presidency to order the forfeiture of assets believed to have been stolen from public treasury pending the outcome of investigations on the alleged stolen properties.
Explaining the reason for the Executive Order, Mr Buhari said it is aimed at ensuring that suspected corrupt public officers do not utilize the proceeds from the stolen properties for the disruption of investigations into their alleged involvement in fraud.
The Executive order has however been described by the National Assembly as an attempt to usurp the powers of the Judiciary as well as the legislature.
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