The Federal High Court in Lagos has mandated the interim forfeiture of $1,426,175.14 associated with Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Justice Ayokunle Faji instructed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to publish the interim forfeiture order in a national newspaper. He decreed that any parties interested in the funds must present themselves within 14 days to explain why the money should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
This decision followed an ex parte application marked FHC/L/CS/232/2024, presented by EFCC counsel Bilikisu Buhari-Bala. Buhari-Bala argued that the funds are suspected to be proceeds from Emefiele’s unlawful activities, for which he is currently undergoing three separate criminal trials.
The court order is grounded in Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, which empowers the court to order such forfeitures. David Jayeoba, an EFCC investigator, supported the application with an affidavit, revealing that credible intelligence led to the discovery of the funds in a bank account.