The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the final forfeiture of a warehouse connected to the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos issued the forfeiture order on Thursday, December 19, 2024, transferring ownership of the property to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The warehouse, situated on a 1.925-hectare plot along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Magboro, contained 54 general-purpose steel containers filled with various sewing machines.
Previously, on November 28, 2024, the court had granted an interim forfeiture order following the EFCC’s application. In compliance with the court’s directive, the EFCC published notices in two national newspapers, inviting any interested parties to contest the forfeiture.
At the resumed hearing, EFCC counsel Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, argued for the final forfeiture, citing Section 44(2)(B) of the Nigerian Constitution and Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006. Justice Dipeolu subsequently granted the request, including the forfeiture of the land on which the warehouse was built.
An EFCC source described the court’s decision as another milestone in the agency’s ongoing asset recovery efforts.
