The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured a major victory in its fight against financial crimes.
On Tuesday, January 21, 2025, Justice A.O. Owoeye of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, ordered the final forfeiture of a U-shaped two-storey building in Lagos to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The property, situated in the premises of Goodwill Private Schools, Ikorodu, Lagos State, was suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.
The EFCC obtained an interim forfeiture order on November 8, 2024, and published the order in The Punch newspaper on December 9, 2024, inviting interested parties to show reason why the property should not be forfeited.
With no objections received, the court granted the EFCC’s motion for final forfeiture, ordering the property to be forfeited to the federal government.
According to the Head of Media and Publicity, EFCC, Dele Oyewale, “The judge gave the order following a motion ex parte dated January 8, 2025, and filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, through its counsel, Hannatu Kofar-Naisa.
“The court had, on November 8, 2024, granted an interim forfeiture order of the property and also directed the publication of the same in a national newspaper for any interested party to show reason why the property should not be finally forfeited to the Federal Government.
“Moving the motion for the final forfeiture order at Tuesday’s sitting, counsel to the EFCC told the court that the property was reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.
“Justice Owoeye, after listening to the submissions by Kofar-Naisa, ordered the final forfeiture of the property to the Federal Government of Nigeria.”