The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of a hospital, five petrol stations, many residential and commercial properties, and a total of N333 million across multiple bank accounts to the federal government. The assets are located in Abuja and different states – Niger, Nasarawa, and Borno states.
Delivering the ruling on Monday, the trial judge, Emeka Nwite, granted the order following a motion filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
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The commission brought the application under Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006. The motion, marked FHC/ABJ/1058/2024, was supported by a 36-paragraph affidavit deposed to by EFCC operative Tahiru Ahmed.
According to the EFCC, the assets are suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
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The commission obtained an interim forfeiture order on 13 August 2024, with the court directing it to publish the order in a national daily and on its website to invite interested parties to show cause why the assets should not be permanently forfeited to the federal government.
In compliance, the EFCC published the order in The Punch newspaper on 4 September 2024. The anti-graft agency said no individual or entity came forward to claim ownership of the assets.
Mr Ahmed wrote in the affidavit filed in support of the application that since the interim order was published, no person or entity had shown up to claim ownership of the assets.
He argued that final forfeiture was in the interest of justice, as it would not prejudice any party.
At the resumed hearing on Monday, EFCC counsel Fadila Yusuf urged the court to grant the final forfeiture, having fulfilled all legal requirements.
In his ruling, the judge, Mr Nwite, said, “Having listened to the submission of the EFCC lawyer and reviewed the affidavits in support of the motion, I am of the view that this application is meritorious.”
He therefore granted the application as prayed.
List of forfeited assets
Among the assets forfeited are Galaxy Hospital located at Plot BO/12340 in Bolori Layout, Maiduguri, Borno State, and a duplex in the same area.
Other properties include residential apartments in Equilibrium Estate, Karsana District of Abuja; plots of land in Dakibiyu and Guzape districts of Abuja; properties in Ibrahim Taiwo Estate in Maiduguri; farmland in Gaube, Federal Capital Territory; land near Dakwa Town in Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State; and plots on Mungono Street in Maiduguri, as well as in Mararaba Gurku, Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
Also forfeited are petrol stations located in Chabbal Village, along the Kaduna-Zaria Expressway in Kaduna State, in Mogaramti along Maiduguri-Kano Road, and on Sir Kashim Ibrahim Road in Maiduguri.
Others are a four-bedroom terrace duplex in Guzape District of Abuja and a 10-hectare property proposed for a filling station in Baga-Maimalari Barrack Road, Maiduguri, are also part of the forfeited assets.
In addition, the court ordered the forfeiture of funds in various bank accounts, including N281.4 million in an account belonging to Galaxy Transportation and Communication Service Ltd, N6.9 million in the account of Galaxy Computing and Electronics Service Ltd, and N1.2 million in the account of Galaxy Energy International Concept Ltd. Another N43.7 million was found in the account of Galaxy Transportation and Construction Service.
Other accounts linked to the syndicate, including those of Galaxy Transport and Construct Service, Galaxy Intercontinental Miners Concept Ltd, Galaxy Superstores and Pharmacy, and Abba Babagana Dalori, had zero balances and were also forfeited.
Previous forfeiture orders
This latest ruling adds to a series of court-ordered forfeitures secured by the EFCC in recent months.
On 11 July, the Federal High Court in Lagos granted the final forfeiture of assets including luxury properties, cars, and over N326 million in cash linked to a N2 billion fraud involving 575 dormant customer accounts at Union Bank.
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Also in April, the Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the final forfeiture of a property at 26 Tolu Road, Olodi Apapa, Lagos, to the federal government, following the EFCC’s claim that the asset was acquired with proceeds of crime.
The EFCC maintains that the forfeiture of these assets is part of its broader efforts to recover proceeds of crime and deter financial wrongdoing.
It added that suspects were involved in the underlying offences are being prosecuted in separate criminal trials.
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