The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said that the company suspected to be the owner of 753 units of duplexes in Abuja, flagged by its investigations, denied ownership of the estate following publications made in leading national newspapers.

EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, who disclosed this in Abuja, noted that it was on the basis of this that the agency approached the court for an order of final forfeiture, which Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court granted on Monday, December 2, 2024.

The Commission, however, berated activist Omowole Sowore over allegations of a cover-up of the identity of the promoters of the estate.

He said: “The EFCC is following with keen interest the flurry of reactions to its record-breaking recovery of 753 duplexes and other apartments on Plot 109, Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja.

“The commentaries of reform-minded Nigerians regarding the Commission’s painstaking efforts in securing the final forfeiture of the estate to the Federal Government of Nigeria are appreciated.

“However, the denigration of such efforts by Omowole Sowore and his like-minded associates is unacceptable and grossly uncharitable.

“The allegation of a cover-up of the identity of the promoters of the estate stands logic on its head in the sense that the proceedings for the forfeiture of the estate were in line with Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, which 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 an unclaimed property. This Act allows you to take up a forfeiture proceeding against a chattel that is not a juristic person. This is exactly what the Commission did in respect of the estate.

“The proceedings that yielded the final forfeiture of the estate were products of actionable intelligence available to the Commission.

“The expectation of the EFCC from citizen Sowore is a patriotic appreciation of its efforts in securing such a landmark forfeiture.

“It is shocking that the activist is not concerned about the systemic lassitude and unhelpful permissiveness that allowed such a monstrous corrupt act in the first instance.

“Nigerians should gear up more against lapses and loopholes in our system that continue to make the nation vulnerable to corrupt tendencies.”

The EFCC said that the forfeiture proceedings were based on actionable intelligence and that the agency is committed to uncovering the full extent of the corruption involved. The criminal investigation into the matter is ongoing.

He said, “The EFCC will continue to safeguard the financial space of the nation against manipulators and organized brigandage.

“It is important to note that the substantive criminal investigation on the matter is still ongoing. It would be unprofessional of the EFCC to go to town by mentioning the names of individuals whose identities were not directly linked to any title document of the properties. The EFCC is unwavering in its no-sacred-cow approach to every matter, and together we will make Nigeria greater.”