Court Orders Interim Forfeiture Of N228.4m Traced To Ex-Abia Gov Theodore Orji

The ruling followed an ex-parte motion presented by Fadila Yusuf, the counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

In addition to the freezing order, Justice Nwite directed the EFCC to publish the order on its website and in Daily Trust newspaper.

The order specifies that any interested parties must show cause within 14 days of the publication. The matter has been adjourned to February 3 for a compliance report.

In the ex-parte motion, the EFCC had sought an order for the interim freezing and forfeiture of N228,497,773.12 held in a commercial bank, as listed in the attached schedule, on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

EFCC counsel presented five grounds for the motion, stating that the funds, held by Effdee Nigeria Ltd., were under investigation by the agency and were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.