Ladipo Sanusi
A Federal High Court, Lagos, on Friday, ordered the final forfeiture of the sum of N449,597,000 found in possession of one Mohammed Tauheed, at a shopping plaza, in Lagos, to the Federal Government.
The court presided over by Justice Rilwan Aikawa made the order after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), through its lawyer, Idris Mohammed, moved and argued a Motion on Notice for final forfeiture of the money.
In urging the court to grant the Motion on Notice, EFCC told the court that the application was brought before the court pursuant to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and other fraud related offences Act No. 14, 2006, Section 44(2)(K) of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court.
The anti-graft commission further informed the court that the application, which prayed for the final forfeiture of the money, was supported with a 12-paragraph affidavit, a written address and seven exhibits.
The EFCC also informed the court that since the date it made an order of temporary forfeiture of the money, neither the respondent in the suit, Tauheed, nor any member of the public has come before the court to show cause why the money should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
In his ruling, Justice Aikawa said: “I have perused the motion on notice filed by the applicant. In the ruling of this court order, which ordered the respondent and other interested parties to show cause why the order should not be made final.
“From the court’s record, the respondent or any other party have not file any affidavit why the order should not be made final.
“In the circumstance, I have no option than to grant the Motion as prayed.
“Accordingly, I order that the sum of N449, 597, 000 found in possession of the respondent (Muhammad Tauheed), which is reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime be finally forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
It would be recalled that Justice Aikawa had on April 20, 2017, granted a temporary forfeiture of the money, after the EFCC had approached his court with an affidavit for the order.
In the affidavit sworn to by one of its operatives, Moses Awolusi, the anti-graft agency said it received an intelligence report on the April 7, 2017, that money in several bags were warehoused in one of the shops located at Legico shopping Plaza, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The intellegence report according to the EFCC was analyzed and found worthy of investigation against one Mohammed Tauheed.
The deponent also stated that the investigation revealed that on the April 7, 2017, the
It said the shop, with number LS64,was, subsequently, searched and a sum of N449,579, 000 was found in several bags, popularly known as Ghana Must Go.