General
Emefiele Forfeits $1.4m to FG After Court Order
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture to the federal government of another $1.4 million, linked to embattled former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele.
Justice Ayokunle Faji gave the order after hearing an application filed and argued by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday.
This order is coming a few days after another judge of the same court, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, ordered the final forfeiture of over N12.18bn in money and properties linked to the same Emefiele.
Recall that a witness earlier this week had said Mr Emefiele awarded contracts to his wife and brother-in-law.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, counsel to the EFCC, Mrs Bilkisu Buhari-Bala, urged Justice Faji to grant the final forfeiture order of the money, domiciled in an account number in Titan Trust Limited, to the Nigerian government.
The EFCC counsel told the court that the application is pursuant to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-related Offences Act No. 14 2006, and section 44 (2)(B) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Mrs Buhari-Bala also told the court that the application for the final forfeiture of the said sum has been established to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
The applicant was supported by an affidavit deposed to by one David Jayeoba, an Investigating Officer with the EFCC, alongside a written address.
In the affidavit, the deponent stated that his Commission received credible and direct intelligence which led to the tracing of funds reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities, warehoused in the Donatone Limited (DL) Titan Trust Bank account, which funds are reasonably suspected to be part of proceeds of unlawful activities.
He said that the commission, whilst investigating the monumental fraud carried out by the erstwhile CBN governor and his cronies, discovered a huge amount of money warehoused and concealed in the account of (DL) domiciled in Titan Trust Bank.
According to him, some of the brains behind the fraudulent concealment of funds reasonably suspected to have been proceeds of unlawful activities of Emefiele are the natural persons behind DL: Mr Uzeobo Anthony and Mr Adebanjo Olurotimi, who are directors of DL.
The deponent also stated “that part of the said funds, which represent the proceeds of Godwin Emefiele and his cronies’ unlawful activities, are retained in the accounts now sought to be forfeited.
“That Uzeobo Anthony and Adebanjo Olurotimi were procured by Godwin Emefiele to conceal, retain, and disguise funds reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
“Between 2021 and 2022, when accessibility to Forex in Nigeria was difficult, several international entities operating in Nigeria had to resort to different means to source forex.
“That both Uzeobo Anthony and Adebanjo Olurotimi used to collect bribes and gratification on behalf of (GE) to get approval for accessing Forex. And that one of the entities paid a total sum of twenty-six million five hundred and fifty-give thousand million Dollars ($26,552,000.00) into the account of (DL) domiciled in Titan Trust account number 2000000500.
“The said credits came into the account on the 9th of November 2021: $6,450,000; 15th of November 2021: $6,050,000.00; 16th of December 2021: $5,400,000.00; 23rd of December 2021: $652,000, 31th January 2022: $3,000,000.00 and on the 21st September 2022: $5,000,000.00. Find attached and marked EFCC 1 the Titan Trust bank account of Donatus Limited evidencing the inflows.
“The investigation traced the funds to having been fixed into interest-yielding accounts, dissipated and laundered through a foreign account in Mauritius, and transported back to Nigeria under disguise.
“That of the total sum of $26, 555, 000.00 US dollars received by Donatus Limited, the balance standing in the said account as of today is the sum of one million four hundred and twenty-six Thousand one hundred and seventy-five (US $1,426, 175. 14).
“That it is the balance in the account that the applicant (EFCC) seeks to forfeit to the Federal Government of Nigeria which has been traced to be the proceeds of unlawful activities of (GE) and his cronies.
“That investigation further revealed that the international entities sourcing for forex were pressured into parting with huge funds to access forex during the period. And that the signatories to the account warehousing the sum of ($1,426, 175.14) sought to be forfeited are at large and are making frantic efforts to dissipate the funds electronically.
“Based on our investigation findings, the funds sought to be forfeited are proceeds of unlawful activities of Godwin Emefiele and his cronies. And that the applicant secured an interim forfeiture order of the Honourable Court on the 29th day of May 2024 to forfeit the sum of $1, 426, 175.14 warehoused in Titan Trust Bank to the Federal Government of Nigeria in the interim. Attached and marked EFCC 3 is the Honorable Court’s order dated 29th May 2024.
“The Honorable Court ordered that the order be published in a national daily. The said order was carried out and the applicant published the order in the Punch Newspaper on the 6th of June 2024. Attached and marked EFCC 4 is the said order.”
In ordering the final forfeiture of the money after listening to the submission of the EFCC lawyer, the court held that: “having been satisfied with the application and submission of Counsel, I hereby granted the prayer finally forfeiting the said funds in question.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
State governors have restated their commitment to the establishment of state police and reforms in the electricity sector.
The agreement was reached in a communiqué issued at the end of the 2nd meeting of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum on Wednesday.
During the meeting, the governors deliberated issues affecting the country, noting a dedicated consultation with the Attorneys-General to review the proposed constitutional amendments and frameworks for their decision.
“Governors emphasised the need for the State Police to be constitutionally sound and aligned with federalism and citizens’ rights.
“The Forum noted the collaborative effort and added that the consultation outcomes would strengthen the States’ collective position”, the statement said in part.
The group also received a presentation from the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning on progress under the National Nutrition 774 (N-774) Initiative.
It reaffirmed the governors’ commitment to improving nutrition outcomes and reducing child malnutrition across Nigeria.
According to the statement, the governors noted the ongoing work on the National Nutrition Bill and encouraged continued engagement with relevant stakeholders to strengthen the legal and policy framework for nutrition governance.
The forum also received a briefing from the World Bank Country Office on the proposed Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Nigeria covering the period FY2026–2032; the proposed Nigeria Sustainable Agricultural Value-Chains for Growth (AGROW) Programme, a results-based initiative designed to improve agricultural productivity, strengthen value chains, increase private sector participation, enhance food security, and Early Childhood Development (ECD).
The forum supported ongoing collaboration with the Federal Government, the World Bank, and other stakeholders to ensure successful implementation and deliver benefits to participating states.
They approved state-specific interventions and stressed the importance of better coordination across sectors like health, nutrition, education, water and sanitation, social protection, and family support.
On the National Solar Super-Grid (NSSG) Initiative, a proposal to expand electricity access through large-scale decentralised solar generation integrated with a national high-voltage transmission network, it noted the initiative’s potential to support industrialisation, improve energy security, strengthen state electricity markets, and accelerate economic growth.
The governors reiterated their commitment to ongoing power sector reforms and to strengthening collaboration among stakeholders to expand access to reliable and affordable electricity for Nigerians.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, was on Wednesday found not guilty by a London jury of six bribery charges, after five months of trial.
Mrs Alison-Madueke, an oil minister between 2010 and 2015 under then-president Goodluck Jonathan, stood trial charged with five counts of accepting bribes and a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery, which she denied.
Prosecutors alleged that the 65-year-old Mrs Alison-Madueke was given “a life of luxury” in London from oil and gas industry figures seeking lucrative contracts in Nigeria, which has long grappled with mismanagement and corruption.
The jury deliberated for more than 46 hours before reaching its verdict.
Mrs Alison-Madueke was charged by the UK’s National Crime Agency in 2023 over allegations she took £100,000 in cash as well as accepting flights on private jets, chauffeur-driven cars and luxury goods from Louis Vuitton and Harrods.
Other counts allege she received school fees for her son, products from high-end shops such as London’s Harrods department store and Louis Vuitton, and further private jet flights.
Mrs Alison-Madueke has been involved in numerous legal cases globally, including in the United States.
She has been on bail in Britain since she was arrested in October 2015.
In 2023, she was formally charged with accepting bribes, which she has denied.
Mrs Alison-Madueke stood trial alongside oil industry executive, Mrs Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, who was charged with one count of bribery relating to Alison-Madueke and a separate count of bribery of a foreign public official.
Also, her elder brother, Mr Doye Agama, 69, was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery with his sister relating to payments made to his church.
Both Mrs Ayinde and Mr Agama denied the charges against them and were also acquitted by the jury.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has cleared the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) of allegations that it failed to remit N62.2 billion into the Federation Account, as contained in the 2019 Audit Report of the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.
The committee reached the decision on Tuesday during an investigative session with the Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr Adewale Adeniyi, over 77 audit queries raised against the agency in the 2019 and 2020 audit reports.
The committee, however, resolved to establish an ad hoc reconciliation panel to review the remaining 76 audit queries and report for further consideration.
At the hearing, representatives of the Auditor-General’s office informed lawmakers that while the Customs Service generated more than N691 billion in revenue in 2017, only about N629 billion was remitted to the Federation Account, leaving an outstanding balance of N62.2 billion.
Responding, the Customs CG explained that the amount in question consisted of levies collected on behalf of other government agencies and was therefore not meant for remittance into the Federation Account.
According to him, the figure was wrongly classified as under-remittance in the audit report.
Mr Adeniyi stated that while some levies collected by Customs are paid into the Federation Account, others, including certain levies on local production of wheat, textiles and wines, are designated for separate accounts.
He maintained that the disputed N62.2 billion fell into that category and should not have been recorded as unremitted revenue.
The Customs boss also provided explanations on the second and third audit queries, which members of the committee described as satisfactory.
Some lawmakers questioned why the issues had progressed to a Senate investigation, arguing that they should have been resolved during routine reconciliation between Customs officials and auditors.
In his response, Mr Adeniyi noted that the audit years under review coincided with a period of strained relations between the National Assembly and the Customs Service.
The reconciliation committee is expected to work with Customs officials and auditors to resolve discrepancies in the remaining audit queries before further legislative action is taken.
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