A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of 52 terrace and maisonette units in Lekki to the Federal Government after ruling they were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has ordered the final forfeiture of 52 terrace and maisonette units located at Mercyville Estate, Covenant Way, off New Road, Ilasan, Lekki, Lagos, to the Federal Government.
The ruling, delivered on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, followed a Motion on Notice filed by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and argued by its counsel, Franklin Ofoma.
The properties were recovered from Fielddreams Limited, Ifeanyi Nweke and Amex Savings and Loans Limited.
The EFCC had earlier secured an interim forfeiture order on August 14, 2024, through Justice Akintayo Aluko after filing an ex parte application. The interim order was granted in favour of Dr. Kennedy Okonkwo, Chief Executive Officer of Capital Gardens Limited.
Justice Aluko also directed the anti-graft agency to publish the interim forfeiture order in a national newspaper, inviting interested parties to show cause why the properties should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
Following the publication, the respondents filed an affidavit opposing the forfeiture.
In their affidavit, the respondents initially claimed that the funds used to develop the 52 terrace and maisonette units came from the sale of a portion of land acquired through the proceeds from the sale of 29 terrace and maisonette units valued at ₦1.9 billion.
However, they later changed their position, alleging that the 3rd to 19th applicants failed to complete the various units.
The court noted that this contradicted their earlier affidavit, in which they had stated that the proceeds from the sale were used to complete the furnishing and interior decoration of the remaining units and that construction had been completed in 2020.
While moving the application for final forfeiture, EFCC counsel Franklin Ofoma informed the court that the Commission had fully complied with the publication requirement contained in the interim forfeiture order.
He added that the application was supported by a 31-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Afolabi Seyi Oladele, a litigation officer in the EFCC’s Legal Department.
According to Ofoma, the Commission had established reasonable grounds to suspect that the properties were proceeds of unlawful activities and urged the court to grant the final forfeiture.
He also told the court that the second respondent, Ifeanyi Nweke, is a fugitive facing criminal charges and had repeatedly failed to appear before Justice R.A. Oshodi and Justice Okunuga in Charge Nos. ID/25771C/2025 and ID/25769C/2025 for arraignment.
The EFCC further informed the court that two subsisting warrants of arrest had been issued against Nweke and that he had jumped the administrative bail earlier granted to him by the Commission.
In his ruling, Justice Owoeye held that the respondents’ affidavit contained material contradictions, making it unreliable.
“Since this court cannot pick and choose which of the evidence given by the respondents to believe, it must consequently reject the entire affidavit evidence placed before it,” the judge ruled.
He consequently struck out the respondents’ affidavit to show cause, filed on February 9, 2026, but deemed properly filed on April 28, 2026, holding that there was effectively no valid opposition to the EFCC’s application.
Justice Owoeye further held that the EFCC had successfully demonstrated reasonable grounds to suspect that the properties were proceeds of unlawful activities and was therefore entitled to the reliefs sought.
He concluded that the application had merit and granted the final forfeiture order as prayed, permanently transferring the 52 Lekki properties to the Federal Government of Nigeria.