Court orders final forfeiture of warehouse and containers reportedly linked to Emefiele

Justice Deinde Dipeoplu of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of a warehouse built on a landed property measuring 1.925 hectares of land along the Lagos/Ibadan expressway in Magboro, Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State. 

The court also ordered the permanent forfeiture of 54 general purpose steel containers.

Channels TV reports that the court made the order for the final forfeiture to the federal government of Nigeria, after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) moved an application for the forfeiture of the assets since no person or organisation came forward to claim them.

On November 28, the judge had ordered the interim forfeiture of the assets while directing the EFCC to publish the order in the national newspaper, for any interested person to appear before the court and show cause why it should not be finally forfeited.

But at the resumed hearing today, EFCC’s counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), told the court that the commission had complied with the court’s directives.

Oyedepo also submitted that the final forfeiture order was brought pursuant to 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 and under the court’s inherent jurisdiction.

The lawyer also asked the court to make “a final forfeiture order to the Federal Government of Nigeria, properties contained in Schedule A; a warehouse built on a landed property measuring 1.925 hectares, lying, being and situate at Km 8, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Magboro and 54 General purpose steel containers, which are reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.”

After listening to the anti-graft agency’s lawyer and reading through all the processes filed before the court with the authorities cited, Justice Dipeolu, granted the relief sought and ordered the final forfeiture of all the assets.