The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ordered the final forfeiture of a United Kingdom property linked to a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Jeremiah Useni, to the Federal Government.
Justice Binta Nyako, who delivered the judgment, held that the property, located at 79 Randall Avenue, Neasden, London, was reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.
The order followed a motion by the Code of Conduct Bureau, which sought a final forfeiture after no interested party came forward to challenge an earlier interim order.
In a prior ruling, the court had directed that the interim forfeiture be published in a national newspaper to allow anyone with a claim to the property to appear and show cause why it should not be permanently forfeited.
At the resumed hearing, counsel for the bureau informed the court that no objections or claims had been filed.
Justice Nyako subsequently held that the application was meritorious and granted the final forfeiture order.
The court also relied on findings from a United Kingdom tribunal, which established that the property was acquired using a fictitious identity.
According to the tribunal, the name “Tali Shani,” initially presented as the property’s owner, was found to be non-existent, with evidence linking the asset to Useni.
The bureau further argued that an analysis of Useni’s declared earnings, based on data from the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission revealed a significant gap between his legitimate income and the value of the property, reinforcing suspicions of unlawful acquisition.
The property had also been the subject of a separate dispute involving Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, who claimed it was gifted to him by the said “Tali Shani.” However, the tribunal’s findings cast doubt on the existence of the alleged donor.
With the ruling, ownership of the property now vests permanently in the Federal Government.
