Supreme Court Restores Final Forfeiture of Emefiele’s Luxury Properties
Korede Abdullah 
LAGOS, Nigeria – The Supreme Court on Friday restored the final forfeiture of seven luxury properties linked to former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, overturning the judgment of the Court of Appeal which had ordered a fresh hearing of the case.
The Supreme Court panel led by Justice Ibrahim Saulawa and read by Justice Mohammed Idris held that the assets were “reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.”
The judgment effectively ends Emefiele’s legal challenge to the forfeiture order secured by the EFCC. The forfeited assets include two fully detached duplexes on Hakeem Odumosu Street, Lekki Phase 1; an undeveloped parcel of land on Oyinkan Abayomi Drive, Ikoyi; a bungalow and a four-bedroom duplex in Ikoyi; an industrial complex under construction on 22 plots of land in Agbor, Delta State; eight apartment units on Adekunle Lawal Road, Ikoyi; and another duplex on Bank Road, Ikoyi.
The Federal High Court had also ordered the forfeiture of 2.045 million US dollars in cash and share certificates belonging to Queensdorf Global Fund Limited Trust after they were not contested.
Justice Deinde Dipeolu had ruled that the EFCC had “sufficiently established that the assets were proceeds of unlawful activities.”
About the Author
Mirian Gom 
Hussaini Ibrahim 