The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the definitive forfeiture to the Federal Government of properties worth over N12.18 billion related to former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor Godwin Emefiele.
On Friday, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke granted the order of permanent forfeiture after hearing an application submitted and contested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, through its lawyer, Chineye Okezie.
Recall that on June 5, 2024, the judge granted the EFCC’s application for an interim seizure of the assets, as filed and argued by its lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN.
Oyedepo informed the court that Emefiele had been accused of purchasing prime properties by proxy using the profits of fraud while serving as CBN governor.
The EFCC named two current and one former CBN employees as Emefiele’s collaborators in the alleged scam.
In an affidavit submitted in support of the application by the EFCC, the accused accomplices were identified as Obayemi Oluwaseun Teben and Akomolafe Adebayo, who worked with Olubunmi Makinde, a former CBN employee, and others.
Ruling on the subject, the judge said:
“Having carefully considered the application and submission of counsel, it is hereby ordered as follows: – that a final forfeiture order of this honorable court is hereby made forfeiting to the Federal Government of Nigeria, properties contained in Schedule A herein which were traced and reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.”
The forfeited properties are largely in affluent areas of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.
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cc: Daily Post Ng
