By Amah
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The Federal High Court in Lagos, has ordered the final forfeiture of a warehouse built on a 1.925-hectare suspected to be owned by the former Central Bank governor, Godwin Emefiele.
The property is situated along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Magboro, Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State.
It includes a warehouse built on a 1.925-hectare property at Km 8 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Magboro and 54 general-purpose steel containers, which were reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.
Justice Deinde Dipeolu, who presided over the case also ordered the permanent forfeiture of 54 general-purpose steel containers.
The court issued the order for the final forfeiture to the Federal Government of Nigeria after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, filed an application for the forfeiture, as no individual or organisation came forward to claim the assets.
Justice Dipeolu had on November 28, ordered the interim forfeiture of the assets and directed the EFCC to publish the order in a national newspaper to allow interested parties to appear in court and show cause why the assets should not be permanently forfeited.
However, at the resumed hearing on Thursday, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the counsel for EFCC, informed the court that the commission had complied with the court’s directives.
He 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, under the court’s inherent jurisdiction.
Therefore, he urged the court to order the final forfeiture of the assets to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
After reviewing Oyedepo’s submissions and the processes filed before the court, the judge granted the prayers and ordered the final forfeiture of all the listed assets.
There has been suspicion that the assets belonged to the ex-CBN boss but neither he nor anyone associated with him openly laid claim to them.
