A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State has ordered the interim forfeiture to the Federal Government the property known as flat 7B, No 10 Osborne Towers Ikoyi.
Justice Saliu Saidu ordered the forfeiture of the building to the Federal Government on Thursday following an ex parte application by Rotimi Oyedepo, counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The anti-graft agency had named the wife of the sacked Director General of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency, Mrs. Folashade Oke, as the owner of the flat.
The EFCC said it found out that Mrs. Oke made a cash payment of $1.658m for the purchase of the flat between August 25 and September 3, 2015.
She was said to have purchased the property in the name of a company, Chobe Ventures Limited, to which she and her son, Ayodele Oke Junior, were directors.
In the application filed by Oyedepo, the EFCC told Justice Saidu that the funds used to acquire the property belongs to the Federal Government.
In an affidavit supporting the application, an investigating officer of the EFCC, one Musa Yusuf, also explained how the commission obtained intelligence reports which showed that huge sums of money in local and foreign currencies were being surreptitiously kept in the Osborne property.
After analysing the reports, the EFCC said it obtained a search warrant and raided the house where it discovered all the monies which have now been forfeited to the Federal Government, in line with the judgment of Justice Muslim Hassan also of the Federal High Court.
After listening to the EFCC, Saidu directed the anti-graft agency to advertise the order within 14 days in any national dailies to serve as notice to Chobe Ventures, its directors, and any interested persons to come before the court to show cause why the property should not be permanently forfeited to the FG.
He then adjourned till the November 30 for such interested party to appear in court.
