Basking on the euphoria of the final forfeiture of 753 duplexes and other apartments in Abuja, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has again secured another legal victory. The anti-graft agency has secured the final forfeiture of a property along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
The property, according to source, is a warehouse measuring 1.925 hectares. And the property is situated on Km 8, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Magboro.
The final forfeiture was sequel to an order of Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos.
According to sources disclosed to THISDAY, the seized warehouse contained 54 general purpose steel containers. And it is said to belong to a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele.
Recovered from the warehouse are various shapes of sewing machines concealed inside the containers.
Recall that the Judge had on November 28 issued an interim forfeiture of the assets. That was after the Commission had moved an application for their forfeiture.
Justice Dipeolu, while granting the interim forfeiture, also directed the EFCC to publish the order in two national newspapers. This is for any interested person to show cause why the said warehouse should not be finally forfeited to the Federal Government.
Besides the warehouse, the court also ordered the forfeiture of the land upon which the warehouse is built.
At the resumption of hearing on Thursday, the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), informed the court that the anti-graft agency had complied with the court’s directives to publish the assets in two national newspapers.
Oyedepo, while citing Section 44(2) (B) of the Constitution and Section (17) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006, urged the court to grant the final forfeiture of the assets.
However, in a short ruling, the Judge granted the application as prayed.
The forfeiture of the property is described as another milestone in the asset recovery drive of the EFCC.
source: ThisDay
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