The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday said that the decision not the disclose the identity of the “government official” whose fraudulently acquired estate was forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria was in line with the enabling legal framework guiding its operations.
FACTSHEET reports that the anti-graft agency announced the seizure and subsequent forfeiture of an estate built on a 150, 000 hectares containing over 753 duplexes Plot 109 Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja.
The EFCC, however, did not disclose the identity of the owner of the massive property that the agency described as the largest single asset it has recovered from an individual since the agency was established in 2003.
Defending its position, the Head of Media and Publicity the agency, Dele Oyewale, clarified that EFCC was strictly guided by the legal framework governing forfeiture proceedings under Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act. According to him, the legal provisions allow for action-in-rem—a process targeting property rather than individuals—particularly in cases of unclaimed assets.
The EFCC Spokesman stated that, “The allegation of a cover-up of the identity of the promoters of the Estate stands logic on the head in the sense that the proceedings for the forfeiture of the Estate were in line with Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, which is a civil proceeding that allows for action-in-rem rather than action-in-personal m
“The latter allows legal actions against a property and not an individual, especially in a situation of an unclaimed property. This Act allows you to take up a forfeiture proceeding against a chattel who is not a juristic person. This is exactly what the Commission did in respect of the Estate. Individual in situations of unclaimed assets.”
Disclosing the processes followed by the EFCC, Oyewale disclosed that actionable intelligence led to investigations into the estate. He revealed that a company initially identified as the owner of the estate denied ownership which subsequently led to the of public notices in various newspapers on the property before the agency approached the court for the order of forfeiture.
He stated, “On the basis of this, the commission approached the court for an order of final forfeiture which Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court granted on Monday, December 2, 2024.”
Despite the forfeiture order already secured by the EFCC, Oyewale said that “ substantive criminal investigation on the matter continues. It will be unprofessional of the EFCC to go to town by mentioning names of individuals whose identities were not directly linked to any title document of the properties.”.
“We are unwavering in our approach to every matter, and together we will make Nigeria greater.”