A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of a property in the United Kingdom linked to a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Jeremiah Useni, and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, to the Federal Government.
Justice Binta Nyako delivered the ruling on Tuesday, holding that the property, located at 79 Randall Avenue, Neasden, London, was reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.
The forfeiture followed a motion by the Code of Conduct Bureau after no individual or entity came forward to challenge an earlier interim forfeiture order issued by the court.
The court had directed that the interim order be published in a national newspaper to allow interested parties to show cause why the property should not be permanently forfeited.
At the resumed hearing, counsel for the bureau told the court that no objections were filed, prompting the judge to grant the final forfeiture.
Justice Nyako also relied on findings from a United Kingdom tribunal, which reportedly established that the property was acquired using a fictitious identity.
The tribunal found that the name “Tali Shani,” initially presented as the owner of the property, did not exist, with evidence linking the asset to Useni.
The bureau further submitted that an analysis of Useni’s declared earnings, based on remuneration data from the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, showed a significant discrepancy between his legitimate income and the value of the property.
It argued that the gap supported the conclusion that the asset could not have been lawfully acquired.
The property had also featured in a separate dispute involving Ozekhome, who claimed it was gifted to him by the said “Tali Shani.”
However, findings from the UK tribunal cast doubt on the existence of the purported donor.
With the ruling, ownership of the property now vests permanently in the Federal Government.
