Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday, April 25, 2025, ordered the final forfeiture of a property to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The property is located at 26, Tolu Road, Olodi Apapa, Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The judge gave the order, following a motion on notice filed by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos, through its lawyer, H. U. Kofarnaisa.
Justice Dipeolu had earlier ordered the interim forfeiture of the property and also ordered the publication of the said order in a national newspaper for any interested person or party to show cause why the property should not be finally forfeited to the Federal Government.
Moving the application for the final forfeiture on Friday, Kofarnaisa told the court that “no one showed cause within the 14-day window granted after the publication.”
Kofarnaisa also stated that the application was supported with an affidavit deposed to by Gyal Maina Gapani, an operative of the EFCC.
She, therefore, told the court that the property “is reasonably suspected to have been acquired with the proceeds of unlawful activities.”
After listening to the EFCC’s counsel, Justice Dipeolu held that he found merit in the argument of the applicant and ordered the final forfeiture of the property to the Federal Government of Nigeria in favour of Sterling Bank Plc.
