The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Tuesday granted final forfeiture of the cash seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from an Osborne Tower apartment in Ikoyi, Lagos to the Federal Government.
The court had on Thursday, April 13 ordered the temporary forfeiture of the $43m, N23m and £27,000 that the EFCC impounded in the Ikoyi apartment, a cash haul that was later claimed by the NIA.
In ordering the temporary forfeiture of the cash, Justice Muslim Hassan, had given any interested party in the cash until May 5, 2017, to show cause why the money should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
The EFCC had raided the apartment after a whistle-blower alerted it to the suspicious movement of bags in and out of the apartment.
Rivers State government was quick to claim ownership of the money alleging that it was part of the proceeds of the sale of some of the state’s assets by the former Governor, Rotimi Amaechi.
