The Federal High Court in Lagos has officially ordered the permanent forfeiture of a warehouse and 54 steel containers to the Federal Government of Nigeria. The warehouse is located on a 1.925-hectare plot along the Lagos-Ibadan motorway in Magboro, Ogun State. Justice Deinde Dipeolu issued the ruling following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC applied for the asset forfeiture through an ex parte motion filed by its counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), on November 28. The EFCC argued that the properties were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of illegal activities linked to Godwin Emefiele, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Forfeiture order
Justice Dipeolu initially granted an interim forfeiture order and directed the EFCC to publish the decision in a national newspaper. This allowed any interested party to contest the forfeiture by appearing before the court. At a resumed hearing, the EFCC reported that no party had come forward to claim the assets.
Justice Dipeolu granted the EFCC’s application for permanent forfeiture under relevant legal provisions, including: Section 44(2)(B) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and the court’s inherent authority.
The court ruled that the properties were “reasonably suspected to have been obtained with proceeds from illegal acts.”This ruling underscores the Nigerian government’s ongoing efforts to recover assets linked to alleged corruption and illegal activities.