Newly revealed court documents have linked 753 forfeited properties in Abuja to Godwin Emefiele, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). An FCT High Court granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) the final forfeiture of the properties after an earlier interim order expired.
The EFCC described the confiscated assets, located on a 150,500-square-meter plot in Lokogoma District, Abuja, as its largest recovery to date. The case, filed in rem, did not have named respondents due to the nature of the application.
According to an affidavit by EFCC investigator Idi Musa, the properties were allegedly acquired using proceeds from kickbacks, foreign exchange allocations, and contract-related fraud orchestrated by Emefiele and his associates. The affidavit also detailed how Ifeanyi Omeke, a senior manager at Zenith Bank, facilitated transactions and managed title documents for properties allegedly linked to these activities.
Recovered documents and investigations reportedly uncovered widespread fraudulent activities involving Emefiele and his cronies, leading to the forfeiture. Further actions by the EFCC are anticipated as investigations into the matter continue.
