The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the final forfeiture of 20 landed properties valued at over N3,007,000,000 belonging to “a top military officer”.
A statement on Monday by EFCC Head of Media, Wilson Uwujaren, did not name the senior officer.
He said the illicit assets were “controlled through proxies including late General Aminu Maude, and companies such as Atlasfield Integrated Services Nigeria Limited, Marhaba Events Place, Aflac Plastics and Atlasfield Gas Plant Limited”.
Justice N. E. Maha of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted the order while ruling on the application by EFCC counsel, Cosmos Ugwu and Musa Isah.
In May 2020, the court ordered the interim forfeiture of the properties following an ex parte application alleging that they were proceeds of unlawful activities.
The judge then considered the application vis-a-vis Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, more particularly sub-sections 1 and 3 thereof.
EFCC afterwards published notices, alerting anyone with interest in the properties to show cause why they should not be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
In the absence of any contestation, the court ordered the final forfeiture of the assets located in Kano, Katsina, Calabar (Cross River) and Kaduna States.
They include Fuel Stations, Event Centers, Plazas, Block Industries, Truck Assembly Plant, Polythene Production factory and Table Water factory.
A plot located at Rake, Adjacent to Dara Orthopedic Hospital, Kano (N300,000,000); 117 hectares of land located at Adiabo, Oduapani LG, Calabar, with Certificate of Occupancy No. OD/23/2011 dated 21/2/ 2011 (N386,000,000).
Others Truck Assembly at Ring Road, adjacent to A A Affa Filling Station, Kano (N206,000,000); Marhaba Event Centre, Guda Abdullahi Road Farm Centre, Kano (N250, 000,000)