Court orders forfeiture of 14 properties linked to Kogi Govt

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State has ordered the forfeiture of 14 properties linked to the government of Kogi state.

Justice Nicholas Oweibo on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, granted the interim order following an ex parte motion filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

During the proceeding, the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, told the court that the properties which are in Lagos, Abuja and the United Arab Emirates were suspected to have been derived from unlawful activity.

In his ruling on the application, the judge authorised the EFCC to confiscate the sum of N400m linked to the state and recovered from one Aminu Falala.

The EFCC counsel told the court that the court that the N400m was reasonably suspected to have been derived from unlawful activity “and intended to be used for the acquisition of Plot №1224 Bishop Oluwole Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.”

The judge also directed the EFCC to publish the order within 14 days for any interested party to show cause why the forfeiture order should not be made permanent.

Recall that the anti-graft agency recently arraigned governor Yahaya Bello’s nephew, Ali Bello.

The commission had on February 8, arraigned Mr Bello and three others before Justice Obiora Egwuatu.

They were arraigned on an 18-count charge of money laundering and misappropriation of about N3 billion.