The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately release 27 houses that were wrongly seized by the agency.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik gave the order while delivering judgment in a case marked FHC/ABJ/CS/348/2025, which was filed by the EFCC itself.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the EFCC had secured an ex parte interim forfeiture order on March 13 against the 27 properties.
The commission claimed the houses were bought with proceeds of illegal activities.
After the court directed the EFCC to publish the interim forfeiture order in a national newspaper, the affected parties approached the court.
James Ikechukwu Okwete and his company, Jamec West African Limited, said they owned 26 of the properties, while Adebukunola Iyabode Oladapo claimed ownership of House No. 12, Fandriana Close, Wuse 2, Abuja.
They all filed objections to the EFCC’s request for a final forfeiture order.
On October 31, Justice Abdulmalik ruled in their favour. She dismissed the EFCC’s application for final forfeiture and cancelled the earlier interim order.
In her judgment, she said: “I firmly find that the property owner/respondent’s (Okwete’s) affidavit to show cause has merit.”
She also ruled in favour of Oladapo, stating: “Additionally, I hold in favour of Adebukunola Oladapo being a person interested in House No: 12 Fandriana Close, Wuse 2, Abuja, FCT, that since the learned senior counsel for the applicant (EFCC) has informed the court that it has no objection to her affidavit to show cause, that her affidavit filed to show cause, stands substantiated in its entirety.”
The judge then set aside the initial forfeiture order: “Without more, I forthwith set aside and vacate in its entirety the interim order of forfeiture granted on 13th March, 2025.”
She went on to order: “Accordingly, I order the immediate release of the aforementioned properties/their documents to the property owner/respondent and the House No: 12 Fandriana Close, Wuse 2, Abuja, FCT, to Adebukunola Lyabode Oladapo, respectively.”
She added that the EFCC’s motion for final forfeiture “are now otiose.”
Despite the court ruling, the lawyer representing Okwete and Jamec Ltd, Serekowei Larry, SAN, has accused the EFCC of failing to comply. He has written to the EFCC chairman, complaining that the commission has refused to hand over the title documents.
In his letter dated November 27, he told the EFCC: “As indicated above, judgment was given by the Federal High Court… on Friday, 31st October, 2025, in the presence of your counsel.”
He said the judgment order was served on November 14 but was ignored. He wrote that on November 26, officials of the Federal High Court went to the EFCC office to enforce the order, but the agency “refused to do so, thereby blatantly disobeying the said judgment, which in its penultimate paragraph used the words, ‘the immediate release.’”
The lawyer warned that ignoring court judgments is unacceptable, saying: “In any regime, talk less of a democracy, it will be the height of it, if judgments of the court are blatantly disobeyed.”
He added that he hoped the EFCC chairman was unaware of the situation and requested “positive reactions within a reasonable time before we take further steps.”