The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ordered the final forfeiture of a United Kingdom property linked to former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Jeremiah Useni, to the Federal Government.
Justice Binta Nyako held that the property, situated 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, which requested a final order after no party came forward to contest an earlier interim forfeiture.
In a prior ruling, the court had directed that the interim order be published in a national newspaper to give any interested party the opportunity to appear and show cause why the property should not be permanently forfeited to the government.
However, at the resumed hearing, counsel for the bureau informed the court that no application was filed by any individual or entity to challenge the interim forfeiture.
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Justice Nyako, in her ruling, held that the application was meritorious and consequently granted the final forfeiture order.
The judge also relied on findings from a United Kingdom tribunal, which reportedly established that the property was acquired using a fictitious identity.
According to the tribunal, the name “Tali Shani,” initially presented as the owner of the property, was found to be non-existent, 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 disparity supported the conclusion that the asset could not have been lawfully acquired.
The property has also featured in a separate dispute involving a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, who had claimed that it was gifted to him by the said “Tali Shani.”
However, the UK tribunal’s findings cast doubt on the existence of the purported donor.
With the final forfeiture order, ownership of the property now vests permanently in the Federal Government.
