EFCC Secures Final Forfeiture of General’s N3.7bn Property

Kingsley Nwezeh

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the final forfeiture of 20 landed properties valued at over N3.7 billion belonging to a top military officer controlled through proxies, including the late Gen. Aminu Maude and others.

Among the proxies are Atlasfield Integrated Services Nigeria Limited, Marhaba Events Place, Aflac Plastics and Atlasfield Gas Plant Limited.

Justice N. E Maha of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court granted the order while ruling on the application by EFCC’s counsel, Cosmos Ugwu and Musa Isah.

In May 2020, the court had ordered the interim forfeiture of the properties following an ex parte application by the commission, alleging that the assets were proceeds of unlawful activities.

The court, having considered the application vis-a-vis section 17 (sub-sections 1 and 3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006, granted the prayers of the EFCC for an interim forfeiture.

It also directed the publication of notices, alerting anyone interested in the properties to show cause why they should not be forfeited to the Federal Government, according to an EFCC’s statement.

In the absence of any contestation, the court ordered the final forfeiture of the properties.

The forfeited properties, valued at over M3.7 billion, are located in different parts of Kano, Katsina, Cross River (in Calabar) and Kaduna.

Specifically, they include filling stations, event centres, plazas, block industries, a truck assembly plant, polythene production factory and table water factory. Others are undeveloped property located at Rake, adjacent to Dara Orthopedic Hospital, Kano, valued at N300 million; 117 hectares of land located at Adiabo, Oduapani LG covered by Certificate of Occupancy No. OD/23/2011 dated 21/2/ 2011 in Calabar, Cross River, valued at N386 million; truck assembly at Ring Road, adjacent to AA Affa Filling Station, Kano, valued at N206 million and Marhaba Event Centre, Guda Abdulahi Road Farm Centre, Kano valued at N250 million