The duo of Captain Olotu Olumuyiwa Morakinyo, Capt. Ebony Emmanuel Aneke and
a company Lakewood Garden Ventures Limited have been ordered by a Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi to finally forfeit some properties and the sum of N
11,040,000.00 (Eleven Million, Forty Thousand Naira) to the federal Government.
The first respondent,Captain Olumuyiwa Morakinyo, served as
Maritime Guard Commander, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety
Agency, NIMASA, from January to September, 2013.
The second respondent, Captain Ebony Aneke, served as
Maritime Guard Commander, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety
Agency, NIMASA, from September 2013 to December, 2014.
The third respondent, Lakewood Garden Ventures is a company
jointly owned by the second respondent and his sister, Jimmie Aneke.
The Presiding Judge Muslim Hassan had, on March 28, 2018, ordered the interim forfeiture of the properties and the money.
In a 38-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Idris Adamu, an
operative of the EFCC, the applicant had sought an interim order of
the court forfeiting to the Federal Government a three- bedroom terrace
duplex at Lekki Gardens Limited Estate , Phase IV, Lekki-Ajah, Lagos
recovered by the Commission from the first respondent.
The anti graft Agency also sought an interim order
forfeiting to the Federal Government another five-bedroom duplex at
Lekki, Lagos State recovered by the Commission from the second
respondent.
Also, the applicant sought an interim order of the court
forfeiting to the Federal Government the sum of N11,040,000.00( Eleven
Million Forty Thousand Naira) recovered by the Commission from the
third respondent.
In his ruling , the judge granted all the prayers sought by the EFCC then
Justice Hassan in his ruling further directed the EFCC to notify the respondents to appear before the court and show cause within 14 days why the properties and the cash should not be finally forfeited to the Federal Government. It was further ordered that publication should be made in any
national newspaper of the interim order for the respondents or anyone
who is interested in the properties to show cause within 14 days why
the final order of the forfeiture of the properties as well as the
money should not be made in favour of the Federal Government.
EFCC’s legal officer Rotimi Oyedepo had on the 24th of April 2018
brought an application before the court for the final forfeiture, having
published the interim forfeiture order in the The Nation newspaper of
Thursday, April 19, 2018, as ordered by the court.
He also told the court that the first and second
respondents had been served the motion on notice and that they
acknowledged service.
Oyedepo added that “The respondents were also informed that
the case would be going on today,but they made no mention of their
supposed absence in court today.”
Justice Muslim Hassan in his verdict today granted a final
order of forfeiture reiterating that in view of the applicant’s total
compliance with the section 17 of Advanced free fraud and related
offences Act, 2004 and all the averment contained in 38 paragraph
affidavit deposed to by Idriss Adamu an operative of EFCC which is not
controverted by way of counter affidavit.
It is hereby ordered that all the properties and the sum of
N 11,040,000.00 (Eleven Million, Forty Thousand Naira) belonging
to Capt. Olotu Olumuyiwa Morakinyo, Capt. Ebony Emmanuel Aneke and
Lakewood Garden Ventures Limited to the Federal Government of Nigeria be
finally forfeited to the federal government of Nigeria been a proceed
of unlawful activities.