The Federal High Court, Ikoyi has remanded five men, Benjamin Okoye, Moughalu Arinze, Okey Okeke, Ekene Mgbeokwere, and Eboh Thaddeus for the alleged tampering with a property under interim forfeiture.
The defendants appeared before Justice A.O. Owoeye on Tuesday.
The charge sheet details that in July 2024, the defendants, along with Ilongwo Angela (currently at large), unlawfully dealt with a property located at Plot 165C, Block 12, Amuwo Odofin, Ajayi Street, Diamond Estate, which was subject to an interim forfeiture order to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
According to the prosecution, led by Hannatu U. KofarNaisa, this act contravenes Section 32(1) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004.
All defendants pleaded “not guilty” to the charges. The prosecutionwas prepared to proceed with the trial, presenting EFCC operative Abubarkar Mohammed as a witness.
Mohammed testified that he had encountered the defendants during an inspection where they were found interfering with the property despite being informed of its forfeiture status.
Mohammed further described how, after initially securing the property, he discovered on July 29, 2024, that the defendants had broken into it again, leading to their arrest. An interim forfeiture order dated October 6, 2017, was presented and admitted as evidence.
During the court session, defense attorneys M.C. Odo and N. Chukwuemeka addressed bail applications for their clients.
Odo noted that the defendants had been in custody for some time and requested bail, which was opposed by the prosecution due to a lack of prior notification of the application. Justice Owoeye set January 24, 2025, to rule on the bail applications.
The case has been adjourned until February 14, 2025, for further proceedings. This legal action underscores the EFCC’s ongoing efforts to protect assets under legal seizure and to prosecute those who attempt to subvert such processes.for tampering with forfeited property in Lagos
