Court grants EFCC application, orders forfeiture of Saraki’s houses

A Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has ordered the temporary forfeiture of two houses in Ikoyi area of Lagos State said to belong to the former Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

The court presided over by Justice Mohammed Liman gave the order on Monday, following an ex parte application filed by the Ilorin zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The anti-graft agency’s lawyer, Nnaemeka Omewa had approached the court and prayed it to order for the interim forfeiture of the property located at No. 17A McDonald Road, Ikoyi, Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos.

The commission had told the court that the houses were allegedly acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.

Disclosing this in a statement, EFCC’s spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren said that part of the relief sought by the commission include “An order of this honourable Court forfeiting to the Federal Government of Nigeria landed property with appurtenances situate, lying and known as No. 17A McDonald Road, Ikoyi, Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State found and recovered from the respondent which property is reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activity.”

He said that the commission in supporting affidavits, “alleged that the former Senate President acquired the two properties with proceeds of unlawful activity; that while serving as governor of Kwara State, he withdrew over twelve billion naira in cash from the account of the Kwara Government and paid same into his accounts domiciled in Access and Zenith Banks through one of his personal assistants, Abdul Adama, at different intervals.”

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In his ruling, Justice Liman ordered the interim forfeiture of the two properties and instructed that the EFCC should publish the order in a national newspaper within fourteen days, for anyone with an interest in the properties to show cause why they should not be finally forfeited to the Federal Government.

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