These are not the best of times for ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s wife, Dame Patience Jonathan as she has forfeited temporarily N1.0004 billion to the Federal Government.

Sources squealed to us that the interim forfeiture followed a court order secured by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The money was lodged in three deposits with Fidelity Bank Plc on 20^th and 25^th May, 2015.

The forfeiture order by the Federal High Court sitting in Kano and presided over by

The money was found in the account of Magel Resort Limited, a company linked to her. The Commission had information that a bank account domiciled in Fidelity Bank, had a huge sum of money that was not being used by anybody.

Upon receipt of the intelligence, the EFCC swung into action by conducting a preliminary investigation, which revealed that Patience and some of her husband’s relatives were directors of the Company. Others named as directors are Oba Oba Tamunotonye, Goodluck Jonathan Aruera, Goodluck Jonathan Ariwabai and Esther Fynface.

In trying to trace the origin of the money, it was discovered that N500,000 was deposited on the 20^th of May, 2015 by Fynface, who is alleged to be in charge of the Company, while N1 billion (One Billion Naira Only) was transferred in two tranches on the 25^th May, 2015 from Pagmat Oil & Gas Nigeria Limited, a company that was not incorporated with the Corporate Affairs Commission.

Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa held that;

 “An interim forfeiture order is granted to the Federal Government in the sum of N1,000,494,000 (One billion, four hundred and ninety-four thousand naira only) in the Bank account of the 1^st respondent Magel Resort Limited 4011019546 which is maintained with 2^nd respondent Fidelity Bank Plc”.