Court orders forfeiture of 14 properties linked to Kogi gov’t in Abuja, UAE
Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, granted an interim forfeiture of 14 properties in Lagos, Abuja, and the United Arab Emirates linked to the Kogi State Government.
According to a press statement by Wilson Uwujaren, Head, Media & Publicity of EFCC, the Judge also ordered the preservation of the sum of N400,000,000.00 (Four Hundred Million Naira) recovered from one Aminu Falala, which “is reasonably suspected to have been derived from the unlawful activity and intended to be used for the acquisition of Plot No. 1224 Bishop Oluwole Street, Victoria Island Lagos.”
READ ALSO: EFCC arraign wife, nephew of Kogi governor for N3 million money laundering
Justice Oweibo granted the order, following an ex parte application filed by the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The application was supported by an affidavit deposed to by Adekunbi Mojibola, an investigating officer with the EFCC.
Moving the application Wednesday, counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, stated that the properties, including “Hotel Apartment Community, Burj Khalifa lying, being and situate at, Plot 160 Municipality NO 345-7562, Sky View Building No 1, Property No 401, Floor 4, Dubai U.A.E.”, were reasonably suspected to have been derived from unlawful activity.
In his ruling on the application, Justice Oweibo granted the application, as prayed, and directed the Commission to publish the interim order within 14 days for any interested party to show cause why the forfeiture order should not be made in favour of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The case was adjourned till March 28, 2023.
Neptune Prime recalls that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Rashida Bello, the wife of the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, and his nephew, Ali Bello, before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of a Federal High Court Abuja over 18 counts bordering on criminal misappropriation and money laundering to the tune of N3,081,804,654.
The defendants were arraigned alongside Abba Adauda, Yakubu Siyaka Adabenege, and Iyada Sadat.
