EFCC secures final forfeiture of 52 luxury Lekki homes in landmark court ruling

A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has ordered the permanent forfeiture of 52 terrace and maisonette housing units in the upscale Lekki area of Lagos State to the Federal Government, handing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) one of its biggest asset recovery victories in recent years.

Justice Alexandra Owoeye delivered the landmark judgment on July 15, 2026, after granting an application filed by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC, which argued that the properties were reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.

The forfeited properties are located at Mercyville Estate, Covenant Way, off New Road, Ilasan, Lekki, and were recovered from Fielddreams Limited, Ifeanyi Nweke and Amex Savings and Loans Limited, according to the anti-graft agency.

The ruling followed a lengthy legal process that began on August 14, 2024, when the EFCC secured an interim forfeiture order from Justice Akintayo Aluko after filing an ex parte application.

As required by law, the court directed the commission to publish the interim forfeiture order in a national newspaper, inviting anyone claiming ownership or interest in the properties to appear before the court and show cause why the estate should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

Following the publication, the respondents filed a counter-affidavit opposing the final forfeiture application. They initially claimed that the funds used to develop the estate were generated from the sale of part of a landed property and 29 terrace and maisonette housing units, which they valued at approximately ₦1.9 billion.

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However, the respondents later changed their position by alleging that several of the housing units had not been completed. The EFCC argued that the new claim directly contradicted their earlier sworn affidavit, in which they maintained that proceeds from previous property sales were used to complete the furnishing and interior decoration of the remaining units and that construction of the estate had already been completed in 2020.

During the hearing, EFCC counsel Franklin Ofoma informed the court that the commission had fully complied with the publication order issued during the interim forfeiture proceedings. He said the application for final forfeiture was supported by a 31-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Afolabi Seyi Oladele, a litigation officer in the commission’s Legal Department.

The anti-graft agency maintained that its investigations established reasonable grounds to believe that the properties represented proceeds of unlawful activities, making them liable to forfeiture under Nigeria’s asset recovery laws.

The commission also informed the court that the second respondent, Ifeanyi Nweke, is a fugitive facing criminal prosecution. According to the EFCC, Nweke failed to appear before Justice R.A. Oshodi and Justice Okunuga in separate criminal proceedings despite being required to answer charges filed against him.

The EFCC further disclosed that two subsisting warrants of arrest had already been issued against Nweke after he allegedly jumped the administrative bail earlier granted to him by the commission.

In her judgment, Justice Owoeye held that the respondents’ affidavit contained material contradictions that undermined its credibility. She ruled that the court could not selectively rely on conflicting pieces of evidence presented by the respondents.

Consequently, the judge rejected the respondents’ affidavit in its entirety, holding that there was no credible opposition to the EFCC’s application for final forfeiture.

Justice Owoeye further ruled that the commission had successfully demonstrated reasonable grounds to suspect that the estate was acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities. She therefore granted the application and ordered that all 52 terrace and maisonette housing units be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

The judgment represents another significant milestone in the EFCC’s campaign against corruption, money laundering and financial crimes. In recent years, the commission has intensified the use of Nigeria’s non-conviction-based asset forfeiture framework to recover assets believed to have been acquired through illicit wealth, even where related criminal proceedings remain pending.

Legal analysts say the ruling reinforces the courts’ support for lawful asset recovery while underscoring the importance of presenting consistent and credible evidence in forfeiture proceedings.

With the judgment, ownership of the 52 housing units now officially vests in the Federal Government, which is expected to determine the future use of the properties in line with existing laws and national interest.

EFCC secures final forfeiture of 52 luxury Lekki homes in landmark court ruling

MURIC backs FRSC bill to ban preaching, hawking in commercial buses

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has thrown its weight behind a proposed Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) bill seeking to prohibit preaching and hawking inside commercial buses, describing the move as a necessary step to improve road safety and maintain public order.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the organisation’s Founder and Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, said the proposed legislation was “a step in the right direction” and praised the FRSC for what he described as a proactive initiative aimed at reducing distractions that could lead to road crashes.

According to MURIC, preaching inside commercial vehicles distracts drivers, increasing the risk of accidents, while also creating situations capable of causing public disturbance among passengers.

The group argued that bus preaching is inconsistent with global best practices, noting that similar activities are not permitted in commercial public transport systems in major cities such as London, Paris and Frankfurt.

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Akintola said bus preachers frequently board intra-city, inter-city and interstate commercial buses, sometimes preaching throughout long-distance journeys, a practice he described as discourteous to passengers and potentially dangerous for road users.

He said MURIC’s support for the bill is based on two key considerations: the need to minimise driver distraction and the need to prevent conflicts that may arise from unsolicited religious activities in confined public spaces.

The Islamic rights organisation further stated that passengers often tolerate bus preaching despite finding it disruptive, adding that disagreements arising from such activities have, in some cases, led to altercations.

MURIC urged members of the National Assembly to expedite consideration of the proposed bill, citing Nigeria’s persistent road safety challenges.

The group referenced FRSC road crash statistics, which showed thousands of crashes, fatalities and injuries recorded across the country in recent years, arguing that measures capable of reducing distractions on the roads should receive legislative backing.

Akintola also observed that bus preaching is more commonly associated with Christian evangelists and called on Christian leaders and churches, particularly in the South-West, to discourage the practice among their members.

He maintained that preventing distractions capable of contributing to fatal road crashes should take precedence in efforts to improve road safety nationwide.

The proposed FRSC bill also seeks to prohibit hawking on highways and prescribes penalties for violations as part of broader efforts to enhance safety on Nigerian roads.

MURIC backs FRSC bill to ban preaching, hawking in commercial buses

Prophet Jailed for Defrauding Church Members of ₦136.4m in Enugu

A self-acclaimed prophet, Godwin Sunday Ajuluchukwucheya, popularly known as Prophet Sunday Koboko, has been convicted and sentenced by the Enugu State High Court for defrauding church members and other victims of ₦136.4 million through false claims of miracles, lottery winnings, and fraudulent investment schemes. The conviction followed his prosecution by the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a two-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence and stealing, contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.

The defendant pleaded guilty to the charges before Justice H.O. Eya of the Enugu State High Court sitting in Independence Layout, Enugu. Following his guilty plea, the prosecution, led by Assistant Commander of the EFCC, Rotimi Ajobiewe, urged the court to convict him, a request the court granted. Justice Eya sentenced the convict to one year imprisonment with an option of a ₦500,000 fine. The court also ordered the forfeiture of his landed property in Enugu, covered by a Customary Certificate of Occupancy dated July 25, 1989, and registered as No. 92 at Page 92 in Volume 512 of the Land Registry, Enugu, to the Federal Government through the EFCC. The property is to be sold, with the proceeds used to compensate victims of the fraud.

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According to the EFCC, Ajuluchukwucheya deceived unsuspecting victims between 2023 and February 2025 by claiming he had won ₦30 billion in the Baba Ijebu lottery and promising investors huge returns based on the amount they invested. The agency said the claims were false and were used to obtain ₦136.4 million from victims. The EFCC said investigations began after a petition by one of the victims, Mrs. Ngene Nkiruka Jane, who alleged that the convict collected ₦6.7 million from her after claiming he could raise her late husband from the dead and promising returns through an investment scheme. Another victim, Okey Uwakwe, reportedly paid the prophet a total of ₦13.33 million for various spiritual services, including bringing his brother, who had lived abroad since 1997, back to Nigeria and making his sister-in-law, who had been childless for over 15 years, conceive. Uwakwe’s petition to the EFCC reportedly triggered the investigation.

Investigators also alleged that the convict sold so-called spiritual products, including “miracle stickers,” “spiritual dragon,” and “Holy Ghost thunder,” claiming they possessed supernatural powers capable of bringing prosperity and solving personal problems. Each of these items reportedly cost ₦38,000, with some congregants purchasing as many as 1,000 pieces of these products. The EFCC alleged that “Holy Ghost Thunder” was purportedly meant to fight a spiritual army that blocked Prophet Koboko from accessing his claimed ₦33 billion lottery winnings. As investigations progressed, more church members reportedly came forward with similar complaints.

Prophet Jailed for Defrauding Church Members of ₦136.4m in Enugu