By Okoi Obono-Obla
One of the most spectacular operations undertaken by the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property occurred on 16 November 2017. On that day, operatives of the Panel, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Suleiman M. Abdul (PhD), who was then the Panel’s Director of Operations, executed a search warrant on premises belonging to Musa Tumsah, a Director of Accounts in the Federal Ministry of Works, following a petition received from a whistleblower.
The case concerned allegations of abuse of office and illegal enrichment against Ibrahim Musa Tumsah, Director of Finance and Accounts in the Federal Ministry of Power, Works, and Housing. According to the whistleblower, Ibrahim Musa Tumsah, who earned less than ₦500,000.00 as his monthly salary, had acquired properties spread across Abuja, Kaduna, and his hometown in Yobe State. He allegedly used the names of his brother, Mr. Tijjani Tumsah (Executive Vice Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on the North East), as well as those of his children and wives, to conceal ownership of these properties.
The petitioner further alleged that Ibrahim Musa Tumsah owned several companies, including Rain Integrated Service Insurance Ltd (RC: 1284097) and Rain Integrated Bureau De‑Change Ltd (RC: 1106983), which he used to perpetrate fraud in active connivance with his brother, Tijjani Tumsah.
During the search, eighty‑six (86) new vehicles of different makes—many of them expensive, flashy, and bullet‑proof—were recovered from a warehouse. The list included Land Cruisers, BMWs, Jaguars, Mercedes Benz, Audis, Toyotas, and even a Maserati.
Following the recovery, the Panel instituted a case at the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking an order of interim forfeiture of the vehicles and several properties pending the conclusion of investigations. These properties included:
– No. 5 Sirasso Crescent, Wuse Zone 7, Abuja (Twin Duplex)
– No. 34 Euphrate Street, Wuse 2, Abuja
– A Quarry Plant at Kuje, Abuja
– No. 27 Cairo Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja, owned by Rain Nig. Ltd, chaired by Tijjani Musa Tumsah
– Several farms
However, the interim forfeiture order was set aside by the Court of Appeal, Abuja, on the ground that the Panel lacked statutory authority to file such applications. The Court held that, under the Recovery of Public Property (Special Provisions) Act, 2004, the Panel’s powers were limited to investigating corruption, cases of abuse of office by public officials, and acts causing economic adversity to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Act did not confer prosecutorial powers or the authority to seek forfeiture orders directly in court.
Although the Panel filed an appeal against the Court of Appeal’s judgment at the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the process was derailed when the then Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, directed the release of the properties to the suspects after the suspension of the Panel’s Chairman in August 2019. The appeal was subsequently abandoned.
This outcome was deeply disappointing, particularly in an administration that had made the fight against corruption one of its central policy agendas. The case illustrates both the courage of investigative bodies in exposing monumental abuse of office and the institutional limitations imposed by law, which can frustrate accountability efforts.
Conclusion:
The Ibrahim Musa Tumsah case underscores the urgent need to strengthen Nigeria’s anti‑corruption legal framework. While the Recovery of Public Property (Special Provisions) Act, 2004 empowers investigative panels to probe corruption and abuse of office, it stops short of granting them prosecutorial authority. For Nigeria’s anti‑corruption drive to succeed, investigative findings must seamlessly translate into enforceable judicial outcomes, ensuring that public officials who abuse their offices are held accountable without undue interference.