The Anambra state government has protested the inclusion of its property in the interim forfeiture order against 40 properties linked to Ike Ekweremadu, former deputy senate president.
On November 4, Inyang Ekwo, judge of a federal high court in Abuja, ordered the interim forfeiture of the properties belonging to the lawmaker.
The judge ordered the anti-graft agency to publish the interim forfeiture in a national daily within seven days from the date of the order.
Members of the public interested in the properties are advised to approach the court within 14 days of the publication and show why the properties should not be permanently forfeited to the federal government.
The interim forfeiture order includes 10 properties in Enugu, three in the United States (US), two in the United Kingdom (UK), one in Lagos, nine in Dubai, and 15 located in the federal capital territory.
At the court session on Monday, Amah Kalu, a litigation secretary from the law office of C.I. Igbinedion, stated in an affidavit, that he was authorized by the Anambra state government to recover ‘House No. 14/16 Charles Street GRA, Enugu” which EFCC listed as belonging to Ekweremadu in the order.
Kalu stated that following Ekeremadu’s statement in 2018, claiming ownership of the said property, the Anambra state government instituted a suit against the senator on March 4 2022, before the high court in Enugu.
He prayed the court to remove the properties listed by the EFCC pending the determination of the suit.
Likewise, Kingsley Ugwu, a lawyer, prayed the court to remove Uni-Medical HealthCare Limited, Plot 680 and 681 Independence Layout, Enugu, from the property EFCC claimed belongs to Ekweremadu.
He submitted that his client who is currently in possession of the property is “the legal owner and bonafide purchaser for value without knowledge of any adverse interest.”
The judge adjourned the matter to December 15, while directing Sylvanus Tahir, EFCC’s senior lawyer, to respond to the processes. (The Cable)
