Court orders forfeiture of 14 poperties linked to Kogi government

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State on Wednesday ordered the forfeiture of 14 properties in Lagos, Abuja and the United Arab Emirates linked to the Kogi State government.

Justice Nicholas Oweibo granted the interim order following an ex parte motion filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

EFCC counsel, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, who argued the ex parte motion, told the court that the properties, including the one in the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, in Dubai, UAE, were reasonably suspected to have been derived from unlawful activity.

Justice Oweibo further authorised EFCC to confiscate the sum of N400m, also linked to the state and recovered from one Aminu Falala.

Oyedepo informed 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 No. 1224 Bishop Oluwole Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.”

In addition, the judge 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.