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UK reveals 56 dead Nigerians with unclaimed assets, relatives unavailable

Published

2 years ago

September 17, 2022

Fifty-six names of dead Nigerian with reported unclaimed estates and other valuable assets in the United Kingdom have been published by the UK government.

This was contained in UK’s government Treasury Solicitor website updated on September 8, 2022, as reported by BusinessDay.

The unclaimed estates have a 30-year time limit from the date of death before it is removed if no person comes to claim the ownership.

According to the report, one of the oldest affected Nigerians was identified as Mark N’wogo, who died on December 9, 1992, in Surrey, United Kingdom.

But the assets he left behind have gone unclaimed for nearly 30 years, which means that his properties would be surrendered to the British government by December 2022.

He was believed to have served in the Navy, which gave his birth year as 1926, and is said to have an unspecified family in Sapele, Delta State, but neither this individual nor any others had stepped forward to claim the deceased’s possessions.

The values of these estates are not published; instead, only information about their deceased owners is available.

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Another familiar name on the list is Victor Adedapo Olufemi Fani-Kayode, who is alleged to have died on August 15, 2001, in Birmingham, with the Birmingham City Council identified as the informant.

The Treasury Solicitor released a list of untaken estates that had recently been mentioned but had not yet been managed, as well as past instances that had been administered but had not yet been claimed within the time constraints for doing so.

Estates with a 30-year time limit from the date of death are likewise exempted.

The list includes a certain Arbel Aai’Lotta’Qua Abouarh that died on February 5, 1998, in Chiswick, London, and is thought to have different variations in the spelling of his name. Information on file indicates that he may have been married in December 1959 (place unknown) and had four children from the marriage.

It is further stated he was born in northern Nigeria on or about the 3rd March, 1930 and his parents are said to be Alfred Hallim Abouarh and Addanue Abouarh nee Onwudachi. Information on file also indicates that he had a sister (deceased) and a twin brother (possibly living in Germany).

There is also Paul (Akinola) Bernard who was born in Lagos and died in London on October 12, 2008. Available information suggests he married a second wife, Marie Vidarte de Castro, in 1970, but she also died in August 2008. He is believed to have a daughter from his first marriage which ended around 1970.

Born in Ibadan on August 2, 1958, John Olaolu Bankole died in London on April 27, 2010. The information available includes a Decree Absolute dissolving the deceased’s marriage on 11 November 2002, while his marriage certificate states that his father’s name is Oladipupo Bankole.

While Enwukwe Graham Kwedi Edde, who died on January 6, 2011, in London is only known to have been born in Diobu, River State, Charles Ayodele Aliu, who died on March 31, 2011, in Solihull, West Midlands is said to “have a possible cousin in Nigeria”.

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Sunny Eyo Edem, who died on September 16, 2011, in Fulham is believed to have a “possible son and relatives in Calabar, Nigeria”.

Also, William Kadry, who died on November 1, 2011, in Fulham, is said to have been born in Iponri, Lagos State, and his father Akanni Kadiri died in 1941, while his mother Muniratu Kadiri died in 1958.

Recent additions to the list include Solomon Adekanmibi who died on January 31, 2021, in Colchester, Essex; Eugene Bucknor, who died on March 2, 2021, in Brockley, London; Jeff Adhekeh, who died on March 12, 2021, in South Kensington, London and Louisa Holmes, who died on May 24, 2021, in Cheam Sutton.

“We frequently hear of accounts in financial institutions belonging to deceased people that are never claimed and are never made public by these institutions. I believe we can take a leaf out of the UK’s book in this area to promote transparency,” says Olaitan Akinnubi, a Lagos-based lawyer.

“I believe that making information about deceased people and their unclaimed assets public in the UK is something that is worthwhile.”

However, most of the deceased have little information on relatives to whom their assets may be transferred, and for those with available information, it is quite inadequate and hard to trace beneficiaries.

Akinnubi advised the relatives of any of the listed deceased persons or any other person entitled to the estates to “engage a probate solicitor or practitioner in the UK to help and guide them through the process of obtaining letters of administration in respect of the deceased person’s estate in the UK.”

Related Topics:Nigerians Relatives UK unclaimed assets

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BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

Published

11 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Trends Admin

BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

The federal government has unveiled a proposed budget of N47.9 trillion for the 2025 fiscal year.

Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, disclosed this to journalists on Thursday following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu.

Bagudu revealed that the council had approved the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for 2025-2027.

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According to the minister, the government has pegged the crude oil benchmark at $75 per barrel, with an oil production target of 2.06 million barrels per day (bpd).

The budget also sets the exchange rate at N1,400 per dollar and aims for a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 6.4%.

BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

metro

EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

Published

12 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Trends Admin

EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) told FIJ that they have arrested Timber Wabote, the former executive secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCMB), on the grounds of a failed $35 million Bayelsa refinery project fraud.

Dele Oyewale, the EFCC’s spokesperson, confirmed this to FIJ on Thursday.

“It is true,” Oyewale responded to FIJ’s inquiries.

Wabote is accused of misappropriating public funds for a refinery project that should have improved local energy production.

Vanguard reported that the NCDMB under Wabote paid $35 million to support the development of energy infrastructure in the Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa, yet there was nothing to show for it.

The EFCC picked Wabote up following the arrest of Akintoye Adeoye Akindele, the Managing Director of Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited, for alleged misappropriation, money laundering and diversion of $35 million in public funds.

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“NCDMB under the watch of Wabote allegedly paid the $35 million to Akindele to build a 2,000 barrel per day (BPD), refinery, jetty, gas plant, power plant, data centre and tank farm at Brass free trade zone (FTZ), Okpoama Community in Brass LGA of Bayelsa State,” a source with the EFCC had explained.

Since December 2020 when the payments were made, Akindele abandoned the project with little or nothing to show for the huge sum he received.

Preliminary investigations showed that Wabote’s NCDMB financed 17 different projects, including the 2,000 BPD refinery in Brass LGA.

There has been a series of public fund misappropriation cases in the energy sector in recent times.

FIJ earlier reported that members of the House of Representatives summoned three ministers to defend how over $2 billion was spent on renewable energy with not much to show for it.

A recent FIJ report also recently detailed how residents of Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa, have not had power in their homes since July due to the vandalisation of the Ahoada-Yenagoa transmission towers caused by unidentified persons.

The Bayelsa state government told FIJ it was the federal government’s responsibility to provide electricity for residents. The state has no renewable energy options reliable enough to power its capital despite the multi-million-dollar NCMB energy project.

Transparency in the energy sector has become necessary at a time when Nigerians have suffered power instability due to frequent grid collapses.

EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

metro

Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial till Nov 27

Published

12 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Trends Admin

Yahaya Bello

Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial till Nov 27

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has requested an adjournment in the new case against the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, stating that the 30-day window for the previously issued summons is still active.

The commission has granted administrative bail to his co-defendants, Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, and asked the court for an extension of time for Bello to appear.

At the resumed hearing before Justice Maryann Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, EFCC Counsel Jamiu Agoro noted that the court’s order from October 3rd had not yet expired.

“In that wise, we feel it will not be appropriate for us to take proceedings while that 30 days is still running. So we have discussed and agreed to come back on the 27th day of November, 2024, my lord,” he told the court.

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He also mentioned that the previously set date of November 20th was not convenient for the prosecution counsels.

Counsel to the second defendant, Aliyu Saiki, SAN, confirmed that his client had been granted administrative bail by the prosecution and had no objection to the adjournment request. The third defendant’s counsel, ZE Abass, concurred.

The prosecution counsel also requested the court to allow the notice of hearing to be pasted on the last known address of the first defendant.

After hearing from all counsels, the judge granted the EFCC’s application for adjournment and the issuance of the hearing notice.

“I have considered the application for adjournment by the complainant and issuance of hearing notice and the submission by the second and third defendants. The application is granted,” she said.

Justice Anenih then adjourned the case to November 27th for arraignment.

The former governor, alongside Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, are being prosecuted as 1st to 3rd defendants, respectively, in a fresh 16-count charge instituted against them by the EFCC.