EFCC Secures Final Forfeiture of Abuja Estate in Landmark Anti-Corruption Ruling

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced on Monday what it called the biggest asset seizure since its founding in 2003.

This development followed a ruling by Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, who ordered the final forfeiture of a 150,500-square-meter estate in Abuja. The estate, located on Plot 109 Cadastral Zone C09 in the Lokogoma District, includes 753 duplexes and other apartment buildings.

According to the EFCC, the property was owned by a former government officer. In a statement, the Commission emphasized that the forfeiture aligns with its mandate to prevent corrupt individuals from enjoying proceeds of their unlawful activities.

“The forfeiture of the property to the federal government by a former top brass of the government was pursuant to EFCC’s mandate and policy directive of ensuring that the corrupt and fraudulent do not enjoy the proceeds of their unlawful activities,” the statement read.

The EFCC cited Section 44(2) B of the Federal Republic of Nigeria's 1999 Constitution and Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 14, 2006, as the legal basis for its action.

Justice Onwuegbuzie, in his decision, noted that the respondent failed to provide justification for retaining the property. “The property is hereby finally forfeited to the Federal Government,” he declared.

The road to the final forfeiture began with an interim forfeiture order issued by the same judge on November 1, 2024. The EFCC revealed that the former government official involved is currently under investigation.

"The forfeiture of the asset is an important modality of depriving the suspect of the proceeds of the crime," the statement explained.

The Commission further justified the action with Part 2, Section 7 of the EFCC Establishment Act, which empowers it to investigate individuals whose lifestyles and properties appear inconsistent with their legitimate income.

EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede highlighted the importance of asset recovery in fighting corruption. “Asset recovery is pivotal in the anti-corruption fight," he remarked in a recent address to the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-Corruption.

"If you allow the corrupt to have access to the proceeds of their crime, they will fight you with it. So one of the ways to weaken them is to deprive them of the proceeds of their crime,” he added.