Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court in Lagos has lifted the interim forfeiture order placed on some assets linked to former Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr Patrick Akpobolokemi.
Justice Aneke ordered the temporary forfeiture of the property lying and situated at Plot No J37A Close, 2nd Avenue, Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos, and N725,345,897.77 on April 3, 2023.
The judge had granted the order after entertaining an ex-parte application brought before him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) seeking the forfeiture of the assets to the federal government.
The EFCC claimed that the properties belonged to a Real Estate firm, Boloboloere Properties & Estates Limited, while the money, N72545 897.77 million, belonged to another company, Onyeinteke Global Network.
However, the two firms, Boloboloere Properties & Estates Limited and Onyeinteke Global Network Limited, through their lawyer, Abdulakeem Labi-Lawal, challenged the order through a motion on notice dated April 11, 2023, wherein he prayed the court to set aside the interim forfeiture. The lawyer argued that the EFCC has failed to show or demonstrate how the Boloboloere’s property was purchased from proceeds of unlawful activities.
In his ruling, Justice Aneke agreed with the arguments canvassed by Boloboloere’s lawyer and set aside its earlier orders of Interim Forfeiture. The judge also dismissed EFCC’s motion on notice for a final forfeiture order.