A Federal High Court in Lagos issued an order on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, for the temporary forfeiture of property worth N11.14 billion, reportedly connected to the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele.
Appearing before the trial judge, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, the counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, filed an ex-parte application, arguing that Emefiele was suspected of purchasing the high-value property, primarily located in upscale areas of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, by proxy, using proceeds from the fraud.
The EFCC further stated that three CBN staff members were Emefiele’s accomplices.
They are Makinde Olubunmi, Obayemi Teben, and Adebayo Akomolafe, and they allegedly used their positions to secure retail and special foreign exchange allocations for various companies in exchange for kickbacks.
The court mandated the interim forfeiture of the said property to the Federal Government.
Justice Aneke also ordered the EFCC to publish the forfeiture order in a newspaper to allow any interested party or parties to present reasons why a final forfeiture order should not be issued.
The case was then adjourned to June 21, 2024, for the hearing of the motion for final forfeiture.
Follow the AkweyaTV channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va7m7dvJuyA7h5XMc22i
