The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Tuesday, won a landmark forfeiture of 753 duplexes in Abuja, against unnamed owners.
Although the EFCC, in the court papers, said it discovered the property while investigating a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, the property, it added, were not directly linked to him.
However, in a statement, the EFCC, which denied allegations that it was shielding the identities of owners of assets, said it was the publisher of Sahara-reporters, Mr Omoyele Sowore, who linked the property to Emefiele and not the agency.
The commission, in the statement, noted that contrary to claims by Sowore and some other persons, the said property were forfeited because no individual or organisation came forward to claim ownership.
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had ordered the final forfeiture of 753 duplexes, alongside other apartments on Plot 109 Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja.
The forfeiture was sequel to an application brought by the EFCC, in line with Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act.
A court order granting a forfeiture on the said properties, had given notice to any interested parties to appear before the court within 14 days of last month.
According to the EFCC Affidavit, “The properties sought to be forfeited are reasonably suspected to have been acquired and or developed with the proceeds of unlawful activities.”
The address and the size of the property were given by the EFCC as “Plot 109, Cad Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja: Measuring 150,462.86 Sqm.”
In the court papers, the EFCC averred: “That in the cause of this investigation, it was revealed that the erstwhile CBN governor negotiates kickbacks in return for allocation of Foreign Exchange to some companies who were in desperate need of foreign exchange for their lawful and legitimate businesses.”
In the same stroke, names of some other CBN officials were mentioned such as the head of litigation.
“Upon investigation, it was revealed that one Ifeanyi Omeke, a Deputy General Manager and Head, Litigation of Zenith Bank, Plc worked closely with Godwin Emefiele and ran several errands for him which included purchase and perfection of title documents for several properties located in highbrow areas of Lagos and Abuja.”
In all of this, however, the EFCC did not link the former CBN governor to the controversial property. The agency could not find Emefiele’s name in any of the titles of the properties.
But in its reaction to the landmark recovery, Sowore had accused the anti-graft agency of hiding the identity of the owner of the property, which according to him belonged to a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Reacting to Sowore’s allegations, the EFCC in the statement, observed that the application filed sought an order of court against a property and not any individual.
“The allegation of cover-up of the identity of the promoters of the Estate stands logic on the head in the sense that the proceedings for the forfeiture of the Estate were in line with Section 17, of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, which is a civil proceeding that allows for action-in-rem rather than action-in-personam.
“The former allows legal actions against a property and not an individual, especially in a situation of an unclaimed property. This Act allows you to take up a forfeiture proceeding against a chattel that is not a juristic person. This is exactly what the Commission did in respect of the Estate,” the Commission stated.
While stating that the commentaries of reform-minded Nigerians to the Commission’s painstaking efforts in securing the final forfeiture of the Estate to the Federal Government of Nigeria, were appreciated, the EFCC however, warned that the “denigration of such efforts by Sowore and his think-same and act-same, is unacceptable and grossly un-charitable.”
The Commission explained that the proceedings that yielded the final forfeiture of the estate were products of actionable intelligence available to the Commission, adding that the company flagged by investigations denied ownership of the estate, following publications made in leading national newspapers.
“On the basis of this, the Commission approached the court for an order of final forfeiture which Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court granted on Monday, December 2, 2024.
“The expectation of the EFCC from citizen Sowore is a patriotic appreciation of its efforts in securing such a landmark forfeiture. It is shocking that the activist is not concerned about the systemic lassitude and unhelpful permissiveness that allowed such a monstrous corrupt act in the first instance.
“Nigerians should gear up more against lapses and loopholes in our system that continue to make the nation vulnerable to corrupt tendencies. The EFCC will continue to safeguard the financial space of the nation against manipulators and organised brigandage.
“It is important to note that the substantive criminal investigation on the matter still continues. It will be unprofessional of the EFCC to go to town by mentioning names of individuals whose identities were not directly linked to any title document of the properties. The EFCC is unwavering in its no-sacred-cow approach to every matter and together we will make Nigeria greater,” the commission assured.
Alex Enumah
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