Former Chief Executive of the National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), Abdul-Wahab Hanan, has asked the High Court to review and overturn a freezing order placed on four properties linked to him.
He argues that the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) acted in error of law and wrongly included assets he either acquired before his appointment or does not own.
In his affidavit, Hanan listed the properties affected by the order dated October 21, 2025:
Three-bedroom house, GPS Address NS-056-9690, Kpalsi, Tamale
Uncompleted storey building, GPS Address NR-151-7759, Gumani, adjacent Baobab Guest House, Tamale
0.27-acre plot, GPS Address NS-320-6111, Estate Junction, Dagomba Street, Tamale
0.29-acre plot, GPS Address NR-000-8199, Workers College, Tamale
Hanan insists that EOCO obtained the freezing order ex parte, contrary to his constitutional right to be heard, and without meeting the statutory requirements under sections 33–35 of the Economic and Organised Crime Act, 2010 (Act 804).
Properties Acquired Before His Tenure
The former NAFCO CEO says EOCO acted unreasonably by freezing assets with no link to his time in office or any alleged offences. He identifies the three-bedroom house at Kpalsi as acquired in 2011 and completed in 2013—years before joining NAFCO. Hanan noted that the house hosted part of his Islamic marriage ceremony and argued it cannot be considered “tainted property” or linked to proceeds of any alleged wrongdoing.
Properties He Says Do Not Belong to Him
Hanan further claims EOCO wrongly attributed ownership of two other properties to him:
An uncompleted storey building at Gumani, in which he says he has no interest
A 0.27-acre plot at Estate Junction, Tamale, which he says belongs to Al-Qarni Enterprise
He added that the land was transferred in 2022 to OSGAF Furniture Enterprise, long before EOCO’s investigations began. He insists these properties were frozen without “any legal or factual basis whatsoever.”
Alleged Procedural and Constitutional Violations
Hanan also alleges procedural violations, saying that following his arrest on 25 June 2025, EOCO detained him for two weeks and searched his homes in Accra and Tamale without a warrant, breaching his right to privacy.
He claims he was only notified of the freezing order on 26 November 2025 when reporting to EOCO as part of his bail conditions, despite the law requiring prompt notice.
According to Hanan, EOCO has failed to prove that the properties were tainted, linked to serious offences, or suspected to have been acquired through criminal proceeds. He maintains that the freezing order infringes his constitutional rights to property, privacy, 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.