A former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), Abdul-Wahab Hanan, has, in an affidavit, asked the High Court to overturn a freezing order placed on four properties linked to him.

This follows the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO)’s decision to freeze his assets following his arrest.

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Hanan, in his affidavit, according to a citinewsroom.com report, listed the properties affected by the order dated October 21, 2025, as follows:

1. Three-bedroom house, GPS Address NS-056-9690, Kpalsi, Tamale

2. Uncompleted storey building, GPS Address NR-151-7759, Gumani, adjacent Baobab Guest House, Tamale

3. 0.27-acre plot, GPS Address NS-320-6111, Estate Junction, Dagomba Street, Tamale

4. 0.29-acre plot, GPS Address NR-000-8199, Workers College, Tamale.

The report also indicated that Hanan argued in his affidavit that EOCO’s actions were in error of law and that the office had wrongly included assets which, he says, were either acquired before his appointment or are not owned by him.

The former CEO is also reported to have argued that EOCO obtained the freezing order ex parte, in violation of his constitutional right to be heard, and without satisfying the statutory requirements under sections 33–35 of the Economic and Organised Crime Act, 2010 (Act 804).

The report further added that Abdul-Hanan contends that EOCO acted unreasonably by freezing assets that have no connection to his tenure in office or to any alleged offences.

He points out that the three-bedroom house at Kpalsi was acquired in 2011 and completed in 2013, well before he joined NAFCO.

Hanan also added that the house even hosted part of his Islamic marriage ceremony, arguing that it cannot be deemed “tainted property” or linked to proceeds of any alleged wrongdoing.

Hanan added that two other properties were also wrongly attributed to him: an uncompleted storey building at Gumani, in which he says he has no interest, and a 0.27-acre plot at Estate Junction, Tamale, which he says belongs to Al-Qarni Enterprise.

For the 0.27-acre plot at Estate Junction, Tamale, Hanan argued that it had been transferred to a furniture enterprise even before EOCO’s investigations began, yet was still frozen without “any legal or factual basis whatsoever.”

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According to Hanan, EOCO has failed to demonstrate that the properties are tainted, connected to any serious offence, or suspected to have been acquired through criminal proceeds.

He maintains that the freezing order violates his constitutional rights to property, privacy, a fair hearing, and the presumption of innocence.

The High Court is scheduled to hear the motion to review the freezing order on December 18, 2025.

MAG/AE

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