The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of a warehouse and 54 steel containers, allegedly linked to the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, to the Federal Government.

The warehouse, built on a 1.925-hectare property along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Magboro, Ogun State, and the containers were declared forfeited by Justice Deinde Dipeolu after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) argued that they were proceeds of unlawful activities.

On 28 November, EFCC counsel Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) had filed a motion ex parte seeking the interim forfeiture of the assets. Justice Dipeolu granted the application and directed the EFCC to publish the interim forfeiture order in a national newspaper, inviting any claimants to show cause why the assets should not be permanently forfeited.

At a resumed hearing on Thursday, Oyedepo informed the court that the EFCC had complied with the directive, but no individual or organisation had come forward to claim ownership of the assets. The EFCC’s application for final forfeiture was based on Section 44(2)(B) of the Nigerian Constitution (as amended) and Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006.

The commission argued that the properties in question were reasonably suspected to have been acquired through unlawful means and should, therefore, be forfeited to the Federal Government.

After reviewing the submission and evidence presented by the EFCC, Justice Dipeolu ruled in favour of the application.

“The application succeeds and is accordingly granted,” the judge ruled. “A final forfeiture order is hereby granted, forfeiting to the Federal Government of Nigeria the properties listed in Schedule A, which are reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.”

With this ruling, the warehouse and steel containers are now permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.