A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the temporary forfeiture of nine properties linked to former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, pending the outcome of further legal proceedings.
The order was granted by Justice Obiora Egwuatu after an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission through its lawyer, Oluwaleke Atolagbe.
Although the ruling was delivered on April 24, details of the enrolled order became public on Wednesday.
The properties, all located in Abuja, are spread across some of the city’s most expensive districts.
They include four terrace blocks in Dakibiyu, a duplex with a penthouse and office complex on Niger Street in Maitama, a standalone duplex in Palm Springs Estate, Mpape, and a 10-unit apartment block in Wuse Zone 4.
Also affected are two blocks of flats in Garki, a 12-unit residential development in Wuse II, another duplex in Maitama, and a two-block property on Aguta Street in Garki currently occupied by the National Information Technology Development Agency.
In his ruling, Justice Egwuatu said the assets were suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities and should remain under interim forfeiture pending a final decision by the court.
He also directed the EFCC to publish the order in at least two national newspapers, giving any interested party 14 days to appear before the court and explain why the properties should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
The judge fixed May 25 for a compliance report.
The EFCC filed the suit under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, arguing that the assets were tied to alleged illicit activities.
Sylva, a former governor of Bayelsa State, has also been mentioned in reports surrounding an alleged failed coup plot against President Bola Tinubu, although no formal charges have been filed against him in connection with the matter.
