A Federal High Court in Lagos granted an order yesterday for the temporary forfeiture of N11.14 billion in property allegedly linked to former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele.
The presiding judge, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, made the order following an ex parte motion submitted and contested by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN.
The court’s order demands the property’s interim forfeiture to the Federal Government.
Oyedepo stated to the court that Emefiele was accused of purchasing the high-value property, which was predominantly located in posh districts of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, via proxy and with fraudulent funds.
They are Makinde Olubunmi, Obayemi Teben, and Adebayo Akomolafe, who reportedly utilised their positions to acquire retail and special foreign exchange allocations for various companies in exchange for kickbacks.
Justice Aneke has directed the EFCC to publish the forfeiture order in a newspaper so that any interested party or parties can offer reasons why a final forfeiture order should not be granted.
The case has been adjourned to June 21 for the hearing of the motion for final forfeiture.
