Court Orders Final Forfeiture of Warehouse and Containers Linked to Ex-CBN Governor Emefiele
The Federal High Court in Lagos, presided over by Justice Deinde Dipeolu, has ordered the final forfeiture of a warehouse built on a 1.925-hectare property along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Magboro, Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Justice Dipeolu also directed the permanent forfeiture of 54 general-purpose steel containers.
The court issued the final forfeiture order to the Federal Government of Nigeria following an application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), as no individual or organization came forward to claim the assets.
On November 28, the judge had initially ordered the interim forfeiture of the assets and directed the EFCC to publish the order in a national newspaper, allowing any interested parties to appear in court and show cause why the assets should not be permanently forfeited.
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During the resumed hearing on Thursday, EFCC’s counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, informed the court that the commission had complied with all directives.
Oyedepo explained that the application for final forfeiture was made under Section 44(2)(B) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006, leveraging the court’s inherent jurisdiction.
He urged the court to grant the final forfeiture of the assets to the Federal Government of Nigeria. These assets included the warehouse and 54 general-purpose steel containers, which were reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.
After reviewing the submissions, Justice Dipeolu granted the request and ordered the final forfeiture of all the listed assets.
