Founder of SaharaReporters news network, Omoyele Sowore and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on Tuesday took to social media to throw jabs or insults, criticisms at each other after EFCC refused to mention the names of the ex top government official who was allegedly linked with the 753 houses Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the properties final forfeiture to Federal Government, and the exchange of words forced Sowore to make public court affidavit which EFCC investigative officer sworn before the court on November 21, 2024 and alleged that the 753 houses were probably acquired by the former Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele apparently from the kickbacks he was fraudulently collecting from the Apex bank contractors with close working with Zenith Bank Deputy General Manager, Ifeanyi Collins Omeke to acquire the properties.

EFCC investigative officer said that the commission became aware of the properties when they searched the office of the Zenith Bank Deputy General Manager, Ifeanyi Collins Omeke and found title documents of the properties in his office.

Verbatim, the EFCC Investigative officer said: “I, Idi Musa, Male, Nigerian and Investigating Officer of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, 301/302 Institution and research district, Jabi,
Abuja, do solemnly and sincerely make oath and state as follows:

That I am one of the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission assigned to investigate the damning intelligence report received by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in respect of monumental fraudulent activities perpetrated by some senior officers of the Central Bank of Nigeria through which huge sums of money were fraudulently converted and transferred for personal use.

That I have the consent and authority of the Executive Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to depose to the affidavit in support of this application.

That by virtue of my position as one of the Investigating Officers assigned to investigate the said intelligence report; I am well conversant with the fact of this case, having derived my knowledge of the same in the course of my investigations.

That I know as a fact and I verily believe as follows: a. That the Commission whilst investigating the alleged monumental fraud carried out by the immediate past Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and his Cronies traced and discovered several properties reasonably suspected to have been acquired and or developed with proceeds of unlawful
activities.

b. That the property highlighted in schedule A to this application is one of the said properties recovered, having been reasonably suspected to have been acquired, developed with proceeds of unlawful activities. That in the cause of this investigation, it was revealed that the
erstwhile CBN governor negotiates kickbacks in return for allocation of Foreign Exchange to some companies who were in desperate need of foreign exchange for their lawful and legitimate businesses.

d. That our investigation equally revealed that erstwhile CBN Governor received kickbacks from some contractors who were awarded contracts by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

e. That upon investigation, it was revealed that one Ifeanyi Omeke, a Deputy General Manager and Head, Litigation of Zenith Bank, Plc worked closely with Godwin Emefiele and ran several errands for him which included purchase and perfection
of title documents for several properties located in highbrow areas of Lagos and Abuja.

f. That upon a search conducted in the office premises of Mr Ifeanyi Collins Omeke by the operatives of the Commission, several property title documents were recovered which
investigation revealed were purchased with sums traced and reasonably believed to be proceeds of unlawful activities to wit:
kickback from allocation of Foreign exchange and award of Contract.

g. That upon conclusion of investigation, the Commission applied to the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos to forfeit the properties located and situate in Lagos recovered from Mr ifeanyi Collins Omeke, properties, investigation revealed were purchased with sums traced and reasonably believed to be proceeds of unlawful activities.

That during the cause of the search at the office premises of Mr Ifeanyi Collins Omeke by the operatives of the Commission highlighted in paragraph 4 (e) above, the Commission also recovered title documents of a landed property measuring 150,462.86 metre square lying and situate in Abuja as highlighted in schedule A to this application. The title and other relevant documents in relation to this property recovered from Ifeanyi Omeke are attached and marked Exhibit
EFCCO1.

That sequel to the facts in paragraph 5 above, the Commission wrote a letter of investigation activity to the Abuja Geographical Information Systems (AGIS) requesting for a search on the said property.

That on the 17th day of September, 2024, the said property was located with the assistance of a surveyor from AGIS using search result and coordinate.

That upon locating the said property and names of persons to have ever associated with the property, letters of investigation were sent to relevant banks requesting for the opening packages of the said companies used in funding and developing the said property.

That investigation further revealed that the said property has been abandoned and deserted with only a guard manning the said property since June, 2023 upon the arrest of the erstwhile CBN Governor.

That I know as a fact and verily believed that further investigations revealed the following: That the said land known as Plot 109, lying and situate at Cadastral Zone C09 was initially allocated to Windermere
Nigeria Limited on the 15th day of September, 2010 for mass housing development.

That the title of the said property was later transferred to M G Property Limited via an Executed Deed of Assignment. That sometime in August 2021, the said M G Properties transferred its title to H and Y Business Global Limited. That the said H and Y Business Global Limited is also being
investigated for acquiring one of the properties forfeited in the interim by the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, for
the sum of ₦2,200,000, 000. 00  from Nigeria minting and printing Limited for and on behalf of the then Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele.

That monies H and Y Business Global Limited used for the acquisition of the property were not from their legitimate
income but rather were fraudulently procured by Godwin Emefiele and his cronies to disguise and conceal the unlawful origin of the funds used in the acquisition of the properties.

That further investigations revealed that three different companies were used in paying and acquiring the property
now sought to be finally forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria. That Ifeadigo Integrated Services’ is one of the three Companies used in the acquisition of the property sought to be forfeited.

That in the course of the fraudulent acquisition of the property sought to be forfeited, Ifeadigo Integrated Services was procured to transfer the sum of ₦900,000,000.00 reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities to the
account of M G Properties Limited. The account statement evidencing the said payment is hereby attached and marked Exhibit EFCC 02.

That the second company that was procured and used in the acquisition of the property sought to be forfeited is Kelvito Integrated Service. That the said Kelvito Integrated Service, transferred the
sum of ₦700,000,000.00 reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful
activities to M G Properties Limited. The account statement evidencing the said payment is hereby attached and mark Exhibit EFCC 03.

That the third company used in the fraudulent acquisition of the property sought to be forfeited is one Ice Frozen Food and Ventures. That the said Ice Frozen Food and Ventures was procured
to retain and transfer the sum of ₦600,000,000.00 reasonably suspected
to be proceed of unlawful activities to M G Properties Limited for the acquisition of the said property, now sought to be forfeited in the interim to the Federal
Government of Nigeria.

That MG Properties received the aggregate sum of ₦2,200,000,000.00 from Ifeadigo Integrated Services, Kelvito Integrated Service and Ice Frozen Food and Ventures via its account. The account statement of MG Properties evidencing the said payment is hereby attached and mark
Exhibit EFCC 04.

That the said three companies used for the payment the property are enmeshed in criminal maneuvering of layering proceeds of illegal activities of Mr Godwin
Emiefele.

That the directors of Ifeadigo integrated Services and Kelvito Integrated Service were arrested and their statement voluntarily obtained in the course of
investigation. The said extra judicial statements are hereby attached and marked exhibit EFCC 05(a)  and(b) respectively.

That further investigations regarding the alleged fraudulent acquisition of the property sought to be forfeited revealed as follows: That one Mr Eric Ocheme, the personal Assistant to Mr Emefiele, procured Richard Aqulu, a vault Administrator and Cash Officer of Zenith Bank Plc, Maitama main branch, Abuja to launder billions of Naira for Mr Godwin
Emefiele monies suspected to be illegal kickbacks from allocation of Foreign exchange deals and award of Contract by the CBN.

That said Mr Agulu also procured his friends to open a bank account which could be used to receive proceeds of
unlawful activities of Mr Godwin Emefiele.
That to achieve this sinister aim, Mr Agulu hoodwinks old friends such as one Mr Peter Adeyemi to open Bank accounts to receive proceeds of unlawful activities. That one Mr Christopher Emefiele, the promoter of De-mes Properties Nigeria Limited and close ally of Mr Godwin Emiefele was invited by the Commission, he volunteered his statement and confirmed that the said Mr Erich Ocheme, the Personal Assistant to Mr. Godwin
Ifeanyi Emefiele contacted him to act as consultant for the development of the property highlighted in schedule A to
this application now sought to be finally forfeited. Attached and marked Exhibit EFCC 06 is the extra-judicial statement of the said Mr Christopher Emefiele.

That the development of the property was directly handled by Eric Ocheme for his principal Mr Godwin Emiefele. That payment and purchase, miscellaneous and
development of the property sought to be forfeited was conducted through bank transfers and cash via proxy accounts with proceeds of illegal activities.

That part of the proceeds received by the accounts fraudulently opened to facilitate unlawful activities are illegal funds that were used to acquire the property sought
to be forfeited. That the title documents of the property highlighted in schedule A to this application was handed over to Ifeanyi Omeke by Godwin Emefiele. That the funds used in the acquisition of the property highlighted in schedule A to this application are not legitimate earnings of Godwin Emefiele but monies acquired through ilegal and unlawful activities.

That I know as a fact and verily believe that the source/origin of the funds used in the acquisition and/or development of the properties sought to be forfeited, are proceeds of unlawful activities to wit: corrupt enrichment, receiving of gratification or kickbacks and abuse of office”, EFCC stated.

Apparently angered by Sowore statement of campaign against EFCC for not disclosing the names of the suspected former top government official, EFCC in a press release said: “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is following with  keen interest, the flurry of reactions to its record-breaking recovery of 753 duplexes and other apartments on Plot 109 Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja.

The commentaries of reform-minded Nigerians to the Commission’s painstaking efforts in securing the final forfeiture of the Estate to the Federal Government of Nigeria, are appreciated. However, the denigration of such efforts by Omoyele Sowore and his think-same and act-same, is unacceptable and grossly un-charitable.

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-personam. 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 that is not a juristic person. This is exactly what the Commission did in respect of the Estate.   

The proceedings that yielded the final forfeiture of the Estate were products of actionable intelligence available to the Commission. The company flagged by our investigations denied ownership of the Estate following publications made in leading national newspapers. 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.

The expectation of the EFCC from citizen Sowore is a patriotic appreciation of its efforts in securing such a landmark forfeiture. It is shocking that the activist is not concerned about the systemic lassitude and unhelpful permissiveness that allowed such a monstrous corrupt act in the first instance. Nigerians should gear up more against lapses and loopholes in our system that continue to make the nation vulnerable to corrupt tendencies. The EFCC will continue to safeguard the financial space of the nation against manipulators and organised brigandage.

It is important to note that the substantive criminal investigation on the matter still 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. The EFCC is unwavering in its no-sacred-cow approach to every matter and together we will make Nigeria greater”, Dele Oyewale, Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC stated on December 3, 2024 as published on the EFCC social media handles.

Sowore Omoyele took to the comment section of the EFCC X social media handle, stated below and attached court affidavit sworn and used by EFCC to apply  before Federal High Court in Abuja for the final forfeiture of the 753 houses.

“This is the most reckless and irresponsible statement I’ve read from a government agency in a long while. The assertions here are also patently irresponsible.

I have obtained court proceedings and an affidavit sworn to by EFCC investigator who named the names of those behind this real estate fraud. I maintain that referring to the person, Godwin Emefiele, smacks of an attempt to cover up his misdeeds and those of his collaborators; the truth is that the court proceedings tell otherwise. I will attach some court documents here so the public can see the EFCC ‘s disservice in this matter”, Sowore words end in quote.

We had reported that a Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled and ordered a final forfeiture of 753 houses allegedly built with proceeds of fraud or fraudulent practices by a top ex government official unnamed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, while the suspect whose names were not disclosed in public domain remained under investigation.

The Court ruled that the suspect could not give convincing reasons why the properties should not be forfeited to Federal Government as requested by EFCC.

EFCC in a news release on Monday, said, the assets is the single largest asset recovery ever made by the commission since its creation in 2003.

Details of the news release as made available by EFCC media unit where EFCC said its Chairman, Ola Olukoyede has ordered the commission operatives to commence recovery of properties suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of fraud once a suspect is under investigation reads verbatim below:

“Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie, on Monday, December 2, 2024 gave a ruling on a final forfeiture of an estate in Abuja measuring 150,500 square metres and containing 753 Units of duplexes and other apartments. 

This is the single largest asset recovery by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, since its inception in 2003. The Estate rests on Plot 109 Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja.

The forfeiture of the property to the federal government by a former top brass of the government was pursuant to EFCC’s mandate and policy directive of ensuring that the corrupt and fraudulent do not enjoy the proceeds of their unlawful activities.

In this instance, the Commission relied on Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud And Other Fraud Related Offences Act Number 14, 2006 and Section 44 (2) B of the Constitution of the 199 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to push its case.

Ruling on the Commission’s application for the final forfeiture of the property, Justice Onwuegbuzie held that the respondent have not shown cause as to why he should not lose the property, “which has been reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities, the property is hereby finally forfeited to the federal government.”

The road to the final forfeiture of the property was paved by an interim forfeiture order, secured before the same Judge on November 1, 2024.

The government official which fraudulently built the estate is being investigated by the EFCC. The forfeiture of the asset is an important modality of depriving the suspect of the proceeds of the crime.

The justification for the forfeiture is derived from Part 2, Section 7 of  the EFCC Establishment Act, which stipulates that the EFCC “has power to cause investigations to be conducted as to whether any person, corporate body or organization has committed any offence under this Act or other law relating to economic and financial crimes and cause investigations to be conducted into the properties of any person if it appears to the Commission that the person’s lifestyle and extent of the properties are not justified by his source of income.”