Court Rejects Senator’s Application to Reclaim Seized Property

The Federal High Court in Lagos has dismissed an application by the lawmaker representing Delta North senatorial district, Peter Nwaoboshi, seeking to reclaim a 12-storey building seized from him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The seizure was made based on an interim order granted by Justice Abdulaziz Anka on April 24, 2017.

EFCC had, based on an allegation of contract fraud against Nwaoboshi, seized his building located at 27, Marine Road, Apapa, Lagos.

The commission had told the judge that Nwaoboshi, through his company, Bilderberg Enterprises Limited, got a N1.580bn contract to supply some construction equipment to the Delta State Direct Labour Agency sometime in 2010.

But Nwaoboshi had, through his lawyer, Anthony Idigbe (SAN), filed an application seeking to discharge the temporary forfeiture order.

He described the application leading to the interim forfeiture order as an abuse of court processes, contending that Justice Anka ought not to have made the order.

Idigbe claimed that the judge does not have jurisdiction to entertain the case, requesting that the interim forfeiture order should be vacated.

In his ruling yesterday, Justice Anka, however, dismissed Nwaoboshi’s argument and held that the court cannot restrain a security agency from carrying out its statutory functions.