Court orders interim forfeiture of ₦30.7m ‘fraud proceed’ linked to NNPCL
In response to an appeal submitted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, a Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the temporary forfeiture of ₦30.7 million suspected to be proceeds of crime connected to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.After considering an ex parte motion filed by the EFCC, Justice Emeka Nwite issued the ruling on Monday.
The judge also mandated that the decision be published in a national newspaper and that the money be temporarily forfeited to the federal government.
According to Justice Nwite's ruling, any person or organization with a stake in the money has 14 days to show up in court and provide justification for why the money shouldn't be permanently seized by the government.
He then postponed the case until January 22 in order to obtain a compliance report.
The application, designated FHC/ABJ/CS/2775/2025, was filed by the EFCC on December 23, 2025, and the motion was made on January 2, 2026.
The anti-graft agency said that ₦30,700,000 was reasonably suspected of being the profits of illegal conduct and requested an interim forfeiture order.
The application was filed in accordance with Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offenses Act, 2006, according to EFCC counsel Emenike Mgbemele.
The suit was a non-conviction-based forfeiture process, he continued.
The EFCC claims that four managers' checks were used to deposit the funds into the commission's recovery account with United Bank for Africa.
The application, designated FHC/ABJ/CS/2775/2025, was filed by the EFCC on December 23, 2025, and the motion was made on January 2, 2026.
The anti-graft agency said that ₦30,700,000 was reasonably suspected of being the profits of illegal conduct and requested an interim forfeiture order.
The application was filed in accordance with Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offenses Act, 2006, according to EFCC counsel Emenike Mgbemele.
The suit was a non-conviction-based forfeiture process, he continued.
The EFCC claims that four managers' checks were used to deposit the funds into the commission's recovery account with United Bank for Africa.
Three checks totaling ₦10 million apiece and one for ₦700,000 were issued under the name "M/C Draft Outstanding Account."
According to EFCC investigator Bilkisu Abubakar's affidavit supporting the motion, the commission started looking into allegations of fraud involving senior officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
According to her, intelligence gathering, bank inquiries, financial record analysis, and communication with pertinent organizations, such as the Corporate Affairs Commission, were all part of the inquiry.
Abubakar revealed that a crucial player in the activities under investigation was Adamu Yakubu, a bureau de change operator.
On September 2, 2025, she claimed, Yakubu voluntarily submitted a statement to the EFCC along with a ledger that included customer information and transaction records.
According to EFCC investigator Bilkisu Abubakar's affidavit supporting the motion, the commission started looking into allegations of fraud involving senior officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
According to her, intelligence gathering, bank inquiries, financial record analysis, and communication with pertinent organizations, such as the Corporate Affairs Commission, were all part of the inquiry.
Abubakar revealed that a crucial player in the activities under investigation was Adamu Yakubu, a bureau de change operator.
On September 2, 2025, she claimed, Yakubu voluntarily submitted a statement to the EFCC along with a ledger that included customer information and transaction records.
She claims that an examination of the ledger showed that Ibrahim Sani ordered the transfer of more than ₦4 billion to a number of people and businesses.
The affidavit identified Sani as a Federal Inland Revenue Service employee.
According to Abubakar, Sani subsequently acknowledged that he regularly deposited substantial amounts of foreign currency with the bureau de change operator and acknowledged employing Yakubu to transfer money.
She clarified that Yakubu would then deposit the money's equivalent in naira into Sani-provided bank accounts.
She went on to say that Sani neglected to confirm the origin of the money used in the transactions.
The affidavit identified Sani as a Federal Inland Revenue Service employee.
According to Abubakar, Sani subsequently acknowledged that he regularly deposited substantial amounts of foreign currency with the bureau de change operator and acknowledged employing Yakubu to transfer money.
She clarified that Yakubu would then deposit the money's equivalent in naira into Sani-provided bank accounts.
She went on to say that Sani neglected to confirm the origin of the money used in the transactions.
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