Court Orders Final Forfeiture of 52 Lekki Houses to Federal Government

A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has ordered the final forfeiture of 52 terrace and maisonette units located at Mercyville Estate, Covenant Way, off New Road, Ilasan, Lekki, to the Federal Government.

Justice Alexandra Owoeye delivered the ruling after granting an application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, through its Lagos Zonal Directorate 2. The properties were recovered from Fielddreams Limited, Ifeanyi Nweke and Amex Savings and Loans Limited.

The EFCC had earlier secured an interim forfeiture order in August 2024 before Justice Akintayo Aluko, who also directed the Commission to publish the order in a national newspaper to allow any interested party to challenge the forfeiture. Following the publication, the respondents filed an affidavit opposing the application.

During the proceedings, the EFCC argued that the respondents gave conflicting explanations on how the estate was financed. While they initially claimed the project was completed using proceeds from the sale of 29 housing units worth ₦1.9 billion, they later alleged that several of the units were never completed. The Commission also informed the court that the second respondent, Ifeanyi Nweke, was a fugitive who had allegedly jumped administrative bail and failed to appear in court despite two subsisting warrants for his arrest.

In her judgment, Justice Owoeye held that the contradictions in the respondents’ affidavit rendered their evidence unreliable and rejected their opposition to the application. The court ruled that the EFCC had established reasonable grounds to suspect that the properties were proceeds of unlawful activities and consequently granted the order for their final forfeiture to the Federal Government of Nigeria.