The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, On Monday, achieved the final forfeiture of an expansive estate situated in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the FCT High Court issued the order following an application filed by the EFCC.
In a statement, the agency’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, described the estate as covering 150,500 square meters and housing 753 units of duplexes and apartments.
He noted that this marks the largest single asset ever recovered by the EFCC since its establishment in 2003.
While the identity of the individual who forfeited the property was withheld, Oyewale revealed that it belonged to a “former top brass of the government.”
“The path to the final forfeiture was laid by an interim order granted by the same court on November 1, 2024,” Oyewale explained.
He explained that the estate was fraudulently developed by a government official who remains under investigation by the EFCC. He highlighted that the asset forfeiture serves as a crucial step in stripping the suspect of illicit gains.
“In this instance, the Commission relied on Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 14, 2006, and Section 44 (2) B of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to push its case,” Oyewale stated.
He further emphasized the EFCC’s focus on asset recovery, quoting EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede: “Asset recovery is pivotal in the fight against corruption, economic and financial crimes, and a major disincentive against the corrupt and the fraudulent.”
Justice Onwuegbuzie, in his ruling, concluded that the respondent failed to present sufficient reasons to retain ownership of the property.
