Why we withheld owner’s identity of seized Abuja estate – EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has explained why it withheld the identity of the owner of seized estate landed property with 753 units duplexes in Abuja.

Its Spokesperson, Dele Oyewale in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said it would be unprofessional to mention names of individuals whose identities were not directly linked to any title document of the properties.

Oyewale was responding to the criticisms that followed the EFCC record-breaking asset recovery of a 150,500-square-meter estate with 753 duplexes and other apartments in Abuja.

The EFCC had on Monday secured a judgment through Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, ordering final forfeiture of the property to the government.

It was alleged that the commission deliberately covered up the identity of the owners of the estate.

Oyewale explained that the company flagged by the EFCC investigations denied ownership of the estate located in Lokogoma District, Abuja.

According to him, the property was forfeited to the Federal Government after the successful court ruling on Dec 2.

Oyewale emphasized that the forfeiture was carried out in line with Nigerian law, specifically under Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act.

He said that the forfeiture proceeding was a civil action involving the estate, rather than targeting an individual directly.

“The allegation of a cover-up of the identity of the promoters of the Estate stands logic on the head.

“This, in the sense that the proceedings for the forfeiture of the Estate were in line with Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act.

“This is a civil proceeding that allows for action-in-rem rather than action-in-personam.

“The latter allows legal actions against a property and not an individual, especially in a situation of unclaimed property.

“This Act allows you to take up a forfeiture proceeding against a chattel who is not a juristic person. This is exactly what the Commission did in respect of the estate.”

He said that the proceedings that yielded the final forfeiture of the Estate were products of actionable intelligence available to the Commission, adding that the company flagged by EFCC investigations denied ownership of the estate following publications made in leading national newspapers.

“On the basis of this, the Commission approached the court for an order of final forfeiture which Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court granted on Monday, Dec. 2.

“It will be unprofessional of the EFCC to go to town by mentioning names of individuals whose identities were not directly linked to any title document of the properties,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to gear up more against lapses and loopholes in the system that continue to make the nation vulnerable to corrupt tendencies.

He urged critics to focus on the systemic issues that allowed such corrupt activities to occur in the first place.

“The expectation of the EFCC from citizens is a patriotic appreciation of its efforts in securing such landmark forfeiture,” he said.