The Lagos federal high court has ordered the interim forfeiture of $2.045 million, seven landed properties, and shares linked to the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele.
The order was issued on Thursday by Presiding Judge Akintayo Aluko in response to an application submitted by Rotimi Oyedepo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), on behalf of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in a lawsuit with the file number FHC/L/MISC/500/24.
Oyedepo said the forfeited items were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
“In the course of this investigation, it was revealed that the erstwhile CBN governor negotiated kickbacks in return for allocation of foreign exchange to some companies who were in desperate need of foreign exchange for their lawful and legitimate businesses,” he told the court.
“After an investigation, it was discovered that Godwin Emefiele had several errands performed for him by one Ifeanyi Omeke, a deputy general manager and head of litigation at Zenith Bank Plc. These errands included the acquisition and completion of title documents for multiple properties situated in upscale neighborhoods of Lagos.
And that multiple seals for different firms, including but not limited to Queensdorf Global Fund Limited, were found after the operatives searched Ifeanyi Collins Omeke’s office.
“That the said seals were kept in custody of Ifeanyi Collins Omeke by Godwin Emefiele, and that investigation has revealed that all seven companies are suspected to be shell companies used by Godwin Emefiele as vehicles for money laundering and holding proceeds of his illicit activities.”
“The two shares’ certificates are of Queensdorf Global Fund Limited Trust, while the properties are all located in the highbrow Lekki and Ikoyi parts of Lagos and Agbor in Delta.
“The landed properties are listed as two fully detached duplexes of identical structures at No. 17b Hakeem Odumosu Street, Lekki Phase 1; an undeveloped/bare land, measuring 1919.592 sqm with survey plan No. DS/LS/340 at Oyinkan Abayomi drive (formerly Queens drive), Ikoyi; a bungalow at No. 65a Oyinkan Abayomi drive, Ikoyi; a four-bedroom duplex at 12a Probyn Road, Ikoyi; an industrial complex under construction on a 22-plot of land in Agbor; eight units of undetached apartments on a plot measuring 2457.60sqm at No. 8a Adekunle Lawal road, Ikoyi; and a full duplex together with all its appurtenances on a plot of land measuring 2217.87sqm at 2a Bank road, Ikoyi.
“It is also a fact that the properties that are being sought to be forfeited were purchased under the names of corporate entities in an attempt to hide the illegal source of the funds used to purchase them, and the team has recovered the title document for the properties listed in schedule A during this investigation.”
The attorney for the EFCC requested that the federal government confiscate the investments.
Following the request’s approval, the judge gave the EFCC instructions to publish the interim forfeiture order in a national newspaper. This would allow anyone with an interest in the properties to come before the court and provide justification for why the government shouldn’t be granted the order within a period of 14 days.
The matter’s next hearing was postponed until September 5.
