A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of assets linked to former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
These assets include $2.045 million, seven high-value properties, and share certificates of Queensdorf Global Fund Limited Trust.
Justice Deinde Dipeolu’s ruling came after Emefiele and other interested parties failed to contest the initial interim forfeiture order.
The court found that Emefiele could not adequately explain the source of funds used to acquire the properties, despite his previous employment at Zenith Bank and the CBN.
Emefiele had denied any connection between him and the companies in whose names the properties were purchased and the companies had also failed to appear before the court to claim the properties.
The EFCC had listed the companies as; Amrash Ventures Limited, Modern Hotels Limited, Finebury Properties Limited, Fidelity Express Services Limited, H & Y Business Global Limited and SDEM Erectors Nigeria Limited.
Justice Dipeolu held, “the conclusion that can be deduced is that there must be something dark about the acquisition of the properties which Emefiele and the companies does not want to come to light.”
The judge further held “that the interested party has failed to demonstrate any lawful interest in the properties and that they were acquired from his legitimate earnings”.
“I therefore order the final forfeiture to the Federal Government of Nigeria of all those properties…which are reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.”
The properties are: two fully detached duplexes of identical structures, lying being and situated at No. 17b Hakeem Odumosu Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos; an undeveloped land, measuring 1919.592sqm with Survey Plan No. DS/LS/340 at Oyinkan Abayomi Drive (Formerly Queens Drive), Ikoyi, Lagos; a bungalow at No. 65a Oyinkan Abayomi Drive, (Formerly Queens Drive), Ikoyi, Lagos and a four-bedroom duplex at 12a Probyn Road, Ikoyi.
Others are an industrial complex under construction on 22 plots of land in Agbor, Delta State; 8 units of an undetached apartment on a plot measuring 2457.60sqm at No. 8a Adekunle Lawal Road, Ikoyi, and a full duplex together with all its appurtenances on a plot of land measuring 2217.87sqm at 2a Bank Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
On August 15, 2024, the court had authorised the EFCC to temporarily take custody of the cash sum of $2.045million, seven choice landed properties and shares linked to Emefiele after hearing an Exparte application filed by lead counsel to the Commission, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN).
The court’s ruling followed the EFCC’s assertion that the money and other items sought to be forfeited were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
However, counsel to Emefiele, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), had urged the court to stay proceedings and not grant the final forfeiture of the properties.
