A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of a warehouse traced to a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.
The warehouse built on a landed property measuring 1.925 hectares of land and situated at Km 8, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Magboro, contained 54 general purpose steel containers.
It was learnt that when the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) unveiled the containers during investigation, they were filled with sewing machines of various shapes.
Daily Trust reports that Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the aforementioned court had on November 28, ordered the interim forfeiture of the assets after the EFCC moved an application for their forfeiture.
The judge subsequently directed the anti-graft agency court to publish the order in two national newspapers for any interested person to show cause why they should not be finally forfeited.
The commission followed the directive of the court and published in two national dailies including Daily Trust and it later approached the court for the final forfeiture of the assets after nobody showed up to claim the assets.
On Thursday, the judge ordered the final forfeiture of the property comprising the containers and the land to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
At the resumed hearing of the matter on Thursday, EFCC Counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that the EFCC had complied with the court’s directives to publish the assets in two national newspapers.
Citing Section 44(2) (B) of the constitution and Section( 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006, he prayed the court to grant the final forfeiture of the assets.