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Court Orders Final Forfeiture of $2m, Seven Properties Linked to Emefiele

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Court Orders Final Forfeiture of $2m, Seven Properties Linked to Emefiele

Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday, November 1, 2024, ordered the final forfeiture of the sum of $2.045m, seven landed properties and the two share certificates of Queensdorf Global Fund Limited Trust linked to a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele.

Justice Dipeolu gave the order, following a motion on notice filed and argued by a team of lawyers led by Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The properties are: two fully detached duplexes of identical structures at No. 17b Hakeem Odumosu Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos; an undeveloped land, measuring 1919.592sqm with Survey Plan No. DS/LS/340 at Oyinkan Abayomi Drive (formerly Queens Drive), Ikoyi, Lagos; a bungalow at No. 65A, Oyinkan Abayomi Drive, (formerly Queens Drive), Ikoyi, Lagos and a four-bedroom duplex at 12 A, Probyn Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Others are: an industrial complex under construction on 22 plots of land in Agbor, Delta State; 8 units of an undetached apartment on a plot measuring 2457.60sqm at No. 8A, Adekunle Lawal Road, Ikoyi, and a full duplex together with all its appurtenances on a plot of land measuring 2217.87sqm at 2a Bank Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Justice Akintayo Aluko, a vacation Judge, had, on August 15, 2024, ordered the interim forfeiture of the properties, following an ex parte application filed by the EFCC through its lawyer, C.C. Okezie.

Moving the application dated August 13, 2024 and filed August 14, 2024, Okezie had told the court that the properties, cash and shares were reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities by Emefiele.

In his ruling, Justice Aluko had granted the application as prayed and also ordered the Commission to publish the interim order in any of these newspapers-The Punch, The Nation or The Guardian- and the EFCC website within 14days for any interested party to show cause why the final order of forfeiture should not be made in favour of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

However, Emefiele failed to contest the forfeiture within the court’s stipulated time frame.

During the sitting on October 11, 2024 ,the EFCC counsel had applied for the final forfeiture of the properties.

Moving the application for the final forfeiture of the properties on Friday, Oyedepo told the court that the Commission had complied with the order of the court regarding the publication.

The Judge, after listening to the submissions of the EFCC’ s counsel, ordered the final forfeiture of the properties.

According to the Judge, Emefiele was not able to connect his lawful earnings from both Zenith Bank and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the acquisition of the properties.

The court also held that the former CBN Governor failed to provide documents or links to show that he owned the properties.

Justice Dipeolu held that “ the conclusion that can be deduced is that there must be something dark about the acquisition of the properties which Emefiele and the companies do not want to come to light”.

The judge further held “that the interested party has failed to demonstrate any lawful interest in the properties and that they were acquired from his legitimate earnings. I, therefore, order the final forfeiture to the Federal Government of Nigeria of all those properties…which are reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities”.

Visit www.efcc.gov.ng for more stories

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Uche Ogbodo Bemoans Devastating Burglary: Thieves Make Off with Over N50 Million Worth of Goods

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Uche Ogbodo Bemoans Devastating Burglary: Thieves Make Off with Over N50 Million Worth of Goods
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Uche Ogbodo Bemoans Devastating Burglary: Thieves Make Off with Over N50 Million Worth of Goods

Nigerian actress and entrepreneur Uche Ogbodo has been left reeling after her shop was targeted by thieves, resulting in a staggering loss of over N50 million.

In an emotional Instagram video, Uche revealed the shocking aftermath of the break-in, showcasing the hole cut through her shop’s ceiling.

The thieves made off with a substantial amount of merchandise, primarily men’s items.

Uche expressed frustration and despair, questioning the effectiveness of her shop’s security measures.

Photo source: Instagram

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Spain dreads more flood deaths as more rain expected

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Spanish rescuers plunged into inundated garages to find bodies on Monday, a day after furious crowds heckled and hurled mud at the king and the prime minister following devastating floods.

The toll stands at 217 dead — almost all in the eastern Valencia region — and Spain dreaded the discovery of more corpses in its worst such disaster in decades.

National weather service AEMET announced the end of the emergency for Valencia but placed part of the northeastern Catalonia region on the highest red alert for torrential rain on Monday.

Catalan trains were suspended until further notice, Transport Minister Oscar Puente announced on X, while flights were delayed and diverted at Barcelona’s El Prat airport.

The country grappled with the aftermath of an extraordinary outburst of popular anger directed at King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

The Civil Guard has opened an investigation into the chaos in the ground-zero town of Paiporta that cut short their visit on Sunday, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told public broadcaster TVE.

He blamed “marginal groups” for instigating the violence where mud spattered the monarchs’ face and clothes and broke a window of Sanchez’s car.

Organising the visit was “a collective mistake” as fringe groups hijacked raw emotions to endanger the royals, Sanchez and Valencia region leader Carlos Mazon, Puente told television channel La Sexta on Sunday.

The incident underscored growing anger at the authorities’ preparation for and response to the catastrophe.

Experts have questioned the warning systems that failed to alert the population in time and the speed of the response.

– ‘We were abandoned’ –

Thousands of soldiers, police officers, civil guards and firefighters spent a sixth day distributing aid and clearing mud and debris to find bodies.

But relief works only reached some towns days after the disaster and in many cases volunteers were the first to provide food, water, sanitation and cleaning equipment.

“We shouldn’t romanticise it: the people saved the people because we were abandoned,” said Jorge, a resident of the town of Chiva where the royals cancelled their visit on Sunday.

The applause should be for the volunteers, not “those who come just to take a picture and show off”, the 25-year-old told AFP.

Divers on Monday concentrated their search for missing bodies in garages and a multi-storey car park in the town of Aldaia capable of holding thousands of vehicles.

The storm caught many victims in their vehicles on roads and in underground spaces such as car parks, tunnels and garages where rescue operations are particularly difficult.

Local authorities extended travel restrictions for another two days to facilitate the work of the emergency services, cancelled classes in Valencia and urged citizens to work from home.

Storms coming off the Mediterranean are common for the season. But scientists have warned human-induced climate change is increasing the ferocity, length and frequency of extreme weather events.

“Politicians haven’t acted on climate change, and now we’re paying the consequences of their inaction,” environmental activist Emi, 21, told AFP in Chiva.

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POLICE BUSTS, ARRESTS 130 FOREIGN NATIONALS, NIGERIANS FOR CYBERCRIMES, HACKING

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IGP Orders Thorough Investigation into Possible Security Threats, Networking

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested 130 suspects comprising 113 foreign nationals (87 males and 26 females), primarily of Chinese and Malaysian origin, and their 17 Nigerian collaborators (4 males and 13 females) for their alleged involvement in high-level cybercrimes, hacking, and activities that threaten national security. This strategic operation was conducted through a coordinated raid on a building at the Next Cash and Carry area of Jahi, Abuja, where the suspects were reportedly using computers and other sophisticated devices to facilitate criminal activities.

The operation which was led by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police for Zone 7 Headquarters, Abuja, AIG Benneth Igweh, on Saturday, 2nd November 2024, comprised officers of the Nigeria Police Force Zone 7 Command Abuja and the National Cyber Crime Centre (NPF-NCCC).

We are investigating the matter and scientifically analysing the exhibits recovered from them. The suspects will be charged to court upon conclusion of our investigations.

We will update the public on the outcomes of our investigations as and when due.

Thanks.

ACP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI
Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters Abuja
3rd November, 2024.

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