Court Orders Final Forfeiture of $4.7M, N830M, and Luxury Properties Linked to Emefiele
Court Orders Final Forfeiture of $4.7M, N830M, and Luxury Properties Linked to Emefiele
The Federal High Court in Lagos has issued a final forfeiture order for $4.7 million, N830 million, and multiple high-value properties connected to former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
Justice Yellim Bogoro granted the request filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday, following an earlier dismissal of an application that sought to halt the judgment.
The forfeited funds, previously held in First Bank, Titan Bank, and Zenith Bank accounts, were linked to individuals and entities such as Omoile Anita Joy, Deep Blue Energy Service Limited, Exactquote Bureau De Change Ltd, Lipam Investment Services Limited, Tatler Services Limited, Rosajul Global Resources Ltd and TIL Communication Nigeria Ltd.
The forfeited assets include:
– Ikoyi, Lagos: 94 units of an 11-floor building under construction at 2 Otunba Elegushi 2nd Avenue.
– Lekki, Lagos: AM Plaza, an 11-floor office complex on Otunba Adedoyin Crescent, and a plot at Lekki Foreshore Estate.
– Amuwo Odofin, Lagos: Imore Industrial Park 1 on Esa Street.
– Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos: Mitrewood and Tatler Warehouse (Furniture Plant at Bogije).
– Chevron Nigeria Properties: Two properties at Lakes Estate, Lekki.
– Texas, USA: An estate at 100 Cottonwood Coppel Texas Drive.
– Other Key Properties: A property at 8 Bayo Kuku Road, Ikoyi, and land at 1 Bunmi Owulude Street, Lekki Phase 1.
Justice Bogoro ruled that the assets were acquired through unlawful activities, stating:
“I find that the activities of the respondents here were unlawful. Why should they have a problem of dollars immediately Godwin Emefiele left CBN as a governor of the Bank and salary could not be made?”
He added:
“I hold that Anita Omoile is a close crony of the former CBN governor Godwin Emefiele who has been given undue influence to unlawfully sway dollars from CBN.”
The court concluded that all assets listed in the schedule are now permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
Read also: EFCC to Local Councils: Financial Autonomy Is No Excuse for Corruption
The EFCC, through its counsel Rotimi Oyedepo SAN, relied on Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and Section 44(2)(b) of the Nigerian Constitution to justify the forfeiture.
After an initial interim forfeiture order was issued and published in a national newspaper, the court found that the defendants failed to provide legitimate proof of ownership, leading to Friday’s final ruling.
The ruling marks another milestone in the EFCC’s ongoing anti-corruption and asset recovery campaign under Chairman Ola Olukoyede.
