An Owerri High Court which sat recently has ordered the final and total forfeiture of Royal Palm Springs Hotel and other properties belonging to the former Imo State Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha and other members of his family.
The properties that will be forfeited were contained on pages 226 to 272 of the Imo state Government white paper report by the Judicial Commission of Enquiry on Recovery of Lands and other related matters, that was constituted by the former Governor of the state, Emeka Ihedioha, who was ordered to vacate the seat by the Supreme Court.
Justice Fred Njemanze, who sat as a vacation judge, ruled that the counsel of Okorocha did not provide concrete and verifiable reasons why a final and absolute forfeiture order should not be pronounced in favour of the state government.
The Justice also noted that the suit filed against the state government by Okorocha’s counsel was not filed properly and described it as a surplusage, a legal term which means a useless statement completely irrelevant to a matter.
Justice Njemanze made it known that the white paper gazette by the state government was a legal binding document and stressed that there was no cogent reason before the court why the forfeiture should not be made absolute and final. He noted that the state government can do whatever it wants with the properties.
He ruled that those who have purchased any of the properties can approach the court to prove their titles.
On February 26, Justice Njamanze gave an interim order of forfeiture on the properties and urged Okorocha to approach the court to prove why a final and absolute order of forfeiture should not be given over the properties after the application brought to the court by Louis Alozie (SAN), on behalf of the state government.
This made Okorocha’s counsel file a preliminary injunction to halt the final forfeiture by citing forceful eviction and that the suit filed by the Imo State Government was not properly filed.
Some of the properties forfeited are Eastern Palm University, Ogboko; Royal Spring Palm Hotels and Apartments; IBC staff quarters said to have been illegally acquired for Rochas Foundation College; Owerri magistrate quarters, Orlu road/cooperative office/Girls Guide, allegedly converted to private use housing market square and Kilimanjaro eatery; Public building situated at plot B/2 Otamiri South Extension Layout, given to the Ministry of Women Affairs for establishing a skills acquisition centre for women, allegedly acquired for the benefit of Nneoma Nkechi Okorocha’s all-in Mall along Aba road; Plot P5, Naze residential layout, initially part of the Primary School Management Board but now annexed to All-In Mall along Aba Road, belonging to Mrs Nkechi Okorocha; and all the properties contained from pages 226 to 272 of the government white paper on the recommendation of the judicial commission of inquiry into land administration in Imo state from June 2006 to May 2019.
