Adesola Amosu, a former chief of air staff, has been ordered to forfeit N2.24 billion seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, by a Federal High Court in Lagos.
The presiding judge, Mojisola Olatoregun, in a judgement at the hearing of the case, said the funds were “proceeds of an unlawful activity”.
The judge also ordered final forfeiture of N190 million recovered by EFCC from Olugbenga Gbadebo, a former air force director of finance and budget, and also N101 million recovered from Solomon Enterprises, a company linked to Amosu.
In June last year, the judge has ordered that the funds be temporarily forfeited to the federal government following an ex-parte application by the EFCC.
Olatoregun also directed EFCC to publish the interim order in national newspapers for any interested part to show why the final order of forfeiture should not be made in favour of the federal government.
Amosu and Bolaji Adigun, another interest party, then filed a counter-application, claiming that the funds were not illegal but proceeds of their personal businesses.
The judge however struck out the applications, insisting that the parties had failed to establish that the funds were obtained lawfully.
“Upon examination of the two applications from the first respondent (Amosu) and the interested party, dated July 28, 2018, and asking that the interim orders be set aside, I found nothing to set aside the order,” the judge said.
“The affidavits filed disclosed no reason why the order of final forfeiture should not be made; the applications are hereby dismissed. The only conclusion I can reach is that these funds are proceeds of an unlawful activity.
“I hereby order the final forfeiture of these sums to the Federal Government of Nigeria: N2,244,500,000, N190,828,978.15 and N101 million.
“The funds should be paid into the nominated GTB treasury single account of the Federal Government and an affidavit of compliance filed within 14 days.”