The Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday ordered the final forfeiture of a property suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.
Vacation judge, Justice Deinde Dipeolu ordered that the property which is located at 26, Tolu Road, Olodi Apapa, Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The judge gave the order, following a motion on notice filed by the Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos, through its lawyer, Hannatu Kofarnaisa.
In Jan. 2025, the judge had ordered the interim forfeiture of the property and also directed the publication of the order in a national newspaper for any interested person or party to show cause why the property should not be finally forfeited to the Federal Government.
While moving the application for the final forfeiture on Friday, Kofarnaisa told the court that “no one showed cause within the 14-day window granted after the publication”.
The lawyer also stated that the application was supported with an affidavit deposed to by Gyal Maina Gapani, an operative of the EFCC.
After listening to the EFCC’s counsel, Justice Dipeolu held that he found merit in the argument of the applicant and ordered the permanent forfeiture of the property to the Federal Government of Nigeria in favour of Sterling Bank Plc.
In the affidavit, Gapani had stated, “that the Commission on the 18th day of July 2022, received a petition from Sterling Bank PLC bothering on criminal conversion of funds and stealing of funds belonging to the bank wherein an unauthorized transfer of huge sums of money was done.
“The petitioner alleged that the unauthorized transfer of funds was due to a system glitch in the bank wherein the total sum of N295.916,201.02 (Two Hundred and Ninety Five Million, Nine Hundred and Sixteen Thousand, Two Hundred and One Naira Two Kobo) was stolen by some customers of the bank and same converted to their own personal use.
“That as of the time the said customers allegedly stole the said sum, they do not have a corresponding sum in their accounts.
“That the alleged sum was stolen via PayAttitude Global Limited, which is an e-bank wallet and a payment scheme of the Sterling Bank Plc.
“That the commission wrote a letter to Pay Attitude Global LTD and they responded vide a letter dated 17th March 2023 forwarding the payment transaction scheme of the said Ojora Sulaimon Kehinde.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that due to the system glitch, one of the suspects, by name Ojora Sulaimon Kehinde, criminally converted the total sum of N89,000,000 (Eighty Nine Million Naira) belonging to Sterling Bank PLC.
“That in a bid to launder and fraudulently conceal the said sum, he transferred a substantial part of the said sum to his wife, Aminat Olatanwa Ojora, vide her bank account number domiciled with Sterling Bank PLC.
“That as at the time the said Ojora Sulalmon Kehinde transferred the said monies to the account of Aminat Olatanwa Ojora, his wife, using the PayAttitude platform to be used for the purchase of the property now sought to be forfeited.
“That the said Ojora Suleimon Kehinde did not have the corresponding sum in his account as at the time he transferred the monies to his wife.
“That the said Ojora Sulaimon Kehinde procured his wife to transfer the sum of 17,000,000 (Seventeen Mlilion Naira) to one Chuksy Odozy Osazuwa account number domiciled in Zenith Bank Plc for the purchase of a property situate and located at No 26. Tolu Road, Olodi Apapa, Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State, now sought to be forfeited”.
“That Ojora Sulaimon Kehinde procured his brother Muritala Sulaimon Kehinde to front for him in the purchase and execution of the deed of assignment for the purchase of the said property situate and located at No 26. Tolu Road, Olodi Apapa, Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State, now sought to be forfeited”.