By Ghazali Ibrahim
A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of assets worth approximately N8.9 billion linked to businesswoman Aisha Achimugu to the Federal Government.
The order was made on Thursday by Justice Jude Onwugbuzie, who granted an application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the permanent forfeiture of the assets.
The assets include jewellery valued at N4.65 billion, 11 luxury vehicles worth N4.29 billion, $50,000 in cash, and N30 million.
The EFCC had asked the court to permanently forfeit the assets, alleging they were connected to unlawful activities and liable to confiscation under relevant laws.
In his ruling, Justice Onwugbuzie held that the commission had established sufficient grounds for the final forfeiture and ordered that the assets be transferred to the Federal Government.
The judgment marks a major development in the EFCC’s ongoing asset recovery campaign following former AGF Malami’s asset forfeiture yesterday and comes amid broader efforts by the anti-graft agency to trace and recover assets suspected to be proceeds of crime.
