The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the interim forfeiture of a total of $2,045,000 linked to the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
Also, the court ordered the interim forfeiture of seven landed properties and two share certificates linked to Emefiele.
The properties include two fully detached duplexes at No. 17b Hakeem Odumosu Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos. An undeveloped/bare land measuring 1919.592sqm at Oyinkan Abayomi Drive (Formerly Queens Drive), Ikoyi, Lagos.
Others are a bungalow at No. 65a Oyinkan Abayomi Drive, (Formerly Queens Drive), Ikoyi, Lagos. Four bedroom duplex at 12a Probyn Road, Ikoyi. Industrial complex under construction on a 22-plot of land in Agbor, Delta State.
The rest are 8 units of undetached apartments on a plot measuring 2457.60sqm at No. 8a Adekunle Lawal Road, Ikoyi. A full duplex together with all its appurtenances on a plot of land measuring 2217.87sqm at 2a Bank Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
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Justice Akintayo Aluko granted the interim forfeiture orders after taking an application for the orders in a suit filed and moved by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo.
Oyedepo argued that the money and properties sought to be forfeited are reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
He also stated that the orders sought are pursuant to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 14, 2006, Section 44 (2)(B) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the court’s inherent jurisdiction.
The EFCC investigator, Idi Musa, deposed to an affidavit stating that the commission received intelligence reports regarding monumental fraudulent activities perpetrated by some senior officers of the CBN, including Emefiele.
According to Musa, the investigation revealed that the properties listed above were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities and were used to launder money and hold proceeds of illicit activities.
The investigator also stated that the funds used to acquire the properties were not from legitimate earnings but from funds reasonably suspected to have been derived from proceeds of unlawful activities.
