Court Orders Final Forfeiture of Properties Linked to Emefiele
Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of properties linked to the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele. These include a warehouse built on a 1.925-hectare property along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Magboro, Ogun State, and 54 general-purpose steel containers.
The judge ruled that the assets should be permanently forfeited to the federal government after no individuals or organizations came forward to claim them.
On November 28, 2024, the court had granted an interim forfeiture order, directing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to publish the notice in a national newspaper and allow any interested party to appear and contest the forfeiture. However, at the resumed hearing on Thursday, EFCC’s counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, informed the court that the commission had complied with the publication directive.
The application for final forfeiture was filed based on Section 44(2)(B) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offences Act of 2006, and the court’s inherent jurisdiction.
After reviewing the submissions and evidence presented, Justice Dipeolu granted the EFCC’s request, officially ordering the forfeiture of the warehouse and containers to the Federal Government of Nigeria. The assets were suspected to have been acquired through unlawful means.
