The move follows the expiration of the 30-day ultimatum given by the National Assembly to debtors to regularise their debt status with the bad debt manager

The one month notice elapses on Wednesday (today), January 5, 2021.

The corporation confirmed that the agency had no choice but to obey the directive of the National Assembly asking it to publish the names of debtors who have refused to repay their loans.

The spokesperson for AMCON, Mr Jude Nwauzor, said debtors who were yet to provide a repayment proposal risked having their details published in the media after the 30-day grace period given by the National Assembly.

He said, “AMCON has taken the decision to publish already. The decision has been taken already. It is a directive from the National Assembly. As a responsible corporate citizen, this was why we published an advertorial to warn all the entities concerned that their names will be published at the expiration of the ultimatum. The one month grace period will be expiring on January 5, 2021.”

According to corporation, out of a total of 12, 743 non-performing loans inherited by the agency, 4, 831 debtors have settled their indebtednesses, leaving a total of 7,912 outstanding debtors.

AMCON confirmed that the agency would be publishing the names of 7,912 debtors owing the agency N4.4tn at the expiration of the deadline.

Emphasising why the agency would go ahead to publish the names of the debtors, Nwauzor said, “If you recall that before we went for the Christmas holiday, the National Assembly asked us to publish a list of debtors. However, the management of AMCON felt that to avoid a situation whereby people would say we took them by surprise, there was a need to do an advertorial. That was why we put adverts to warn that after the expiration of the deadline, the names would be published. We bought 12,743 loans, but as of now, about 4,831 have been resolved. The outstanding is now7,912. These outstanding debtors are owing us N4.4tn.”

AMCON, it was learnt, had finalised arrangements to publish the complete list of individuals, and institutions on its non-performing loans portfolio in the national dailies.

The Chairman Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, Uba Sani, had, in early December, directed the corporation to publish the names of all debtors, including popular Nigerians as the government stepped efforts to drive debt recovery.

The agency consequently gave the debtors between December 6, 2021, and January 5, 2021, to provide payment formidable repayment proposal or risk the embarrassment of having their names published as directed by the National Assembly.

In a document submitted to the House of Representatives and the Senate last December, AMCON’s Chief Executive Officer, Ahmed Kuru, revealed that about 83 per cent of the total NPL portfolio of N4.4tn was being owned by 350 debtors.

The corporation’s spokesperson had warned that the agency “will have no choice but to carry out the directive of the National Assembly (and) will not be blamed having taken the pain to warn the debtors ahead of the planned publication.”

Speaking on Tuesday, Nwauzor said, “Before we went on vacation, a good number of debtors who will not want their name published have been discussing with the relevant departments within AMCON.What will happen now is a compilation of those who have not come forward. After that, we will get management’s approval to publish. It will be published!You know, left to the National Assembly, they wanted the names published immediately after we engaged with them last month. But as a responsible organisation, AMCON felt that it is proper to give people a final warning so that nobody will say they were taken unawares.So what we did was to play the role of a responsible organisation. Even though the National Assembly has approved that we go ahead and publish the names, let us also warn people about what will happen.After our announcement warning the public that we will publish the list of debtors, a good number of debtors have been coming to discuss with our enforcement department. They are the ones who will publish the list.”

Prior to the recent ruling, Justice Rilwan Aikawa of the Federal High Court, Lagos had issued an order authorizing AMCON to take over Ibrahim’s assets over an alleged N69.4billion debt.

Some of the assets seized by AMCON include building of NICON Investment Limited at Plot 242, Muhammadu Buhari Way, Central Business District, Abuja; NICON Hotels Limited building at Plot 557, Port-Harcourt Crescent, off Gimbiya Street, Abuja and the building of NICON Lekki Limited also at No. 5, Customs Street, Lagos.

Other properties are the building of Abuja International Hotels Limited located at No. 3, Hospital Road, Lagos; another Property at Plot 242, Muhammadu Buhari Way, Abuja; the former Allied Bank Building on Mile 2, Oshodi Express Way, Apapa Road, Lagos; Energy House located on No. 94, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos; NICON Building at No. 40, Madeira Street, Maitama, Abuja; a Residential Apartment at Road 2, House A14, Victoria Garden City, Lagos; NICON Hotels Building at Plot 3, Road 3, Victoria Garden City, Lagos as well as the NICON Luxury Hotel’s Building, Garki I, FCT, Abuja.

The court had also ordered the freezing of all accounts belonging to Ibrahim and his companies including Global Fleet Oil & Gas Limited and NICON Investment Limited all of whom are defendants in the suit No. FHL/L/CL/776/2016.

The Court of Appeal in Lagos on Friday December 10, dismissed two appeals by the Chairman of Global Fleet Group, Jimoh Ibrahim and firms linked to him challenging the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON)’s seizure of his assets and freezing of all his accounts over his alleged N69.4billion debt.

AMCON said that the takeover followed the order of Hon. Justice A.M. Liman of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division, who also ordered the freezing of the Bank Accounts of the former governor and his two companies including Trans Properties and Investment Limited and Trans It Consulting Limited

AMCON noted that the former governor who is one of the founders of the newly established third force in Nigerian politics known as the Rescue Nigeria Project (RNP) is one of the high-profile obligors of AMCON.

Confirming this development, Head, Corporate Communications, AMCON, Jude Nwauzor, said, “Early today and in compliance with the court order, AMCON through the Law firm of Chief Robert Ohuoba of Robert Ohuoba & Co, one of the leading Asset Management Partners (AMPs) of AMCON who also received protective orders from the court, took possession of the mansion belonging to the former Governor situate at Abdulfatah Street, GRA, Ilorin, Kwara State. AMCON had taken over the Non-Performing Loans of the former governor and his companies, Trans Properties and Investment Limited and Trans It Consulting Limited, from the former Intercontinental Bank, FinBank and Bank PHB during the first phase of EBA purchases, in line with its mandate under the AMCON Act. All efforts to peacefully resolve the loan had been frustrated by the former Governor who remained recalcitrant, which left AMCON no other choice than to seek justice in court. AMCON had to commence asset tracing through its appointed law firm of Robert Ohuoba & Co. on Abdulfatah Ahmed, an exercise, which further revealed nine (9) properties of the obligor situate in Kwara, Lagos State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, which the Corporation has plans to enforce upon. This action is in line with Section 49 (1) of the AMCON Act 2019 (As Amended), which states that: 49 (1)Where the Corporation has reasonable cause to believe that a debtor or debtor company is the bonafide owner of any movable or immovable property, it may apply to the Court, before or at the time of filing of an action for debt recovery or other like action or at any time after the filing of the action, and before or after the service of the originating process by which such action is commenced on the debtor or debtor company, by motion ex-parte for an interlocutory order granting possession of the property to the Corporation pending the hearing and determination of the debt recovery or other action to abide the decision in such action. Other assets of the former Governor, which the Honourable Court granted AMCON possession over include: No 13, Alhaji Masha Road, Surulere; No. 9 Wharf, Apapa, Lagos; Plot 3632, Cadastral Zone E27 of Apo, Abuja; Plot 4115, Cadastral Zone F14 of Bazango, Abuja; Plot 8502, Cadastral Zone E31 of Carraway Dallas, Abuja; Plot 494, Cadastral Zone E31 of Carraway Dallas, Abuja; Plot 719, Cadastral Zone E23 of Kyami, Abuja; and any other landed property in any place that may be found within the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”