A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the permanent forfeiture of a warehouse and 54 general-purpose steel containers linked to former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, to the Federal Government.
The warehouse, built on 1.925 hectares of land along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Magboro, Ogun State, and the containers, were declared as proceeds of unlawful activities by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Deinde Dipeolu granted the final forfeiture order after the EFCC’s counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), informed the court that no individual or organisation had come forward to claim the properties despite public notice.
The EFCC had earlier secured an interim forfeiture order on November 28, after presenting evidence to the court suggesting the assets were linked to proceeds of crime. The court directed the EFCC to publish the order in a national newspaper to allow interested parties to show cause why the assets should not be permanently forfeited.
At the resumed hearing on Thursday, Oyedepo confirmed that the commission had complied with the court’s directive and that no claims were made. He cited Section 44(2)(B) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006 to support the request for final forfeiture.
Justice Dipeolu, in delivering the judgment, stated:
“The application succeeds and same is accordingly granted. A final forfeiture order is hereby granted forfeiting to the Federal Government of Nigeria, properties contained in Schedule A herein, which are reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.”
This decision marks another step in the EFCC’s efforts to recover assets linked to financial crimes in Nigeria.
