Justice Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the temporary forfeiture of the sum of $2.04 million allegedly linked to a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, to the federal government.
Justice Aluko also ordered the seizure of seven choice landed properties in the Ikoyi area of the state and two share certificates of Queensdorf Global Fund Limited trust.
The lands are listed as “two fully detached duplexes of identical structures, lying being and situated at No. 17b Hakeem Odumosu Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos; an undeveloped/bare land, measuring 1919.592sqm with Survey Plan No. DS/LS/340 LYING, being situated at Oyinkan Abayomi Drive (formerly Queens Drive), Ikoyi, Lagos.
Others include a bungalow lying, being and situated at No. 65a Oyinkan Abayomi Drive (Formerly Queens Drive), Ikoyi, Lagos; four bedroom duplex lying, being and situated at 12a Probyn Road, Ikoyi; Industrial complex under construction on a 22-plot of land, lying, being and situate in Agbor, Delta State; 8 units of the undetached apartment on a plot measuring 2457.60sqm of lying, being and situate at No. 8a Adekunle Lawal Road, Ikoyi, and a full duplex together with all its appurtenances on a plot of land measuring 2217.87sqm lying, being and situate at 2a Bank Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
The judge granted the interim forfeiture orders on Wednesday after listening to an application marked FHC/L/MISC/500/24, filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) through one of its lawyers, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN).
While moving the application, Oyedepo told the court that the money and other items sought to be forfeited were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
The lawyer also informed the court that the motion ex-parte is supported by an affidavit deposed to by an investigator attached to the Lagos office of the EFCC, Idi Musa.
In the affidavit, the deponent averred that he was one of the operatives of the EFCC assigned to investigate the damning intelligence report received by the Commission in respect of monumental fraudulent activities perpetrated by some senior officers of the Central Bank of Nigeria through which vast sums of money were fraudulently converted and transferred for personal use.
Musa further claimed, “That the Commission, whilst investigating the alleged monumental fraud carried out by the immediate-past Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and his cronies, traced and discovered several properties reasonably suspected to have been acquired and or developed with proceeds of unlawful activities.
“That the said properties particularised in Schedules ‘A’ and ‘B’ herein, having been reasonably suspected to have been acquired/developed with proceeds of unlawful activities, are now sought to be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria in the interim.
“In the course of this investigation, it was revealed that the erstwhile CBN governor negotiated kickbacks in return for allocation of Foreign Exchange to some companies in desperate need of foreign exchange for their lawful and legitimate businesses.
“That upon investigation, it was revealed that one Ifeanyi Omeke, a Deputy General Manager and Head, Litigation of Zenith Bank Plc, who worked closely with Godwin Emefiele, ran several errands for him, which included purchase and perfection of title documents for several properties, located in highbrow areas of Lagos. And that upon a search conducted in the office premises of Mr. Ifeanyi Collins Omeke by the operatives, several seals for various companies, including but not limited to Queensdorf Global Fund Limited, were recovered.
“That the said seals were kept in the custody of Mr Ifeanyi Collins Omeke by Godwin Emefiele. The investigation has revealed that all seven companies listed above are suspected to be shell companies used by Godwin Emefiele as vehicles for money laundering and holding proceeds of his illicit activities.
“That sometime in 2018, one Olusola Bodunde acquired a parcel of land located at Hakeem Odumosu Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos and partnered with one Idowu Sharafa to develop three units of 5-bedroom duplexes with attached BQ on the land. And that sometime in 2020, one Ifeanyi Omeke approached Mr Olusola Bodunde and paid N460,000,000 (Four Hundred And Sixty Million Naira) for two of the three developed duplexes, purchased in the name of Amrash Ventures Limited, all on behalf and the instructions of Godwin Emefiele.
“That the sum of Two Million, Forty-Five Thousand Dollars ($2,045,000.00) and the shares certificate were also recovered in the office of Mr Collins Ifeanyi Omeke at the Zenith Bank Head office on Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
“That most of the proceeds of Godwin Emefiele’s illegal activities were invested in acquiring various properties now sought to be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria. And that the properties now sought to be forfeited were not acquired with proceeds of any legitimate earnings but rather from funds reasonably suspected to have been derived from proceeds of unlawful activities.
“That from findings of our investigation, I also know as a fact and certainly believe that the properties sought to be forfeited acquired in the name of cooperating entities to conceal the unlawful origin of the funds used for their acquisition. And that the title document in respect of the properties listed in Schedule A herein was recovered by the team in the course of this investigation.
“That I know as a fact and indeed believed that the funds used for the acquisition of the properties sought to be forfeited are reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities and not the legitimate earnings of Godwin Emefiele.
“That most of the fraudulently earned funds have been invested in acquiring the various properties now sought to be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria. And that the properties were acquired by Godwin Emefiele and kept in the custody of Mr ColliMrIfeanyi Omeke, with sums traced and reasonably believed to be proceeds of unlawful activities, to wit, kickback from allocation of Foreign exchange.
“That investigation further revealed that all these companies were used in the intermediate steps to perfect this fraud scheme. And that it is in the interest of justice to grant this application,” he stayed.
After listening to the Oyedepo, Justice Aluko granted the interim application and also directed the EFCC to publish the order in a national newspaper to enable anyone interested in the properties to appear before the Court and show cause within 14 days; why the final order of forfeiture of the said properties should not be made in favour of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
He then adjourned further hearing of the matter to September 5.
