The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the permanent forfeiture of $49,700 recovered from former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Sokoto State, Nura Ali, during the 2023 general elections.
Naijaonpoint reports that Justice Emeka Nwite granted the order following a motion filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Moving the application, ICPC counsel, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, informed the court that the commission had complied with an earlier interim order granting temporary forfeiture of the money.
He explained that a public notice had been issued, calling on any interested party to show cause why the funds should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
Akponimisingha noted that since the publication, no individual or group had come forward to claim ownership of the funds or contest the forfeiture in court.
In his ruling, Justice Nwite held that the application had merit.
“I have listened to the submission of the learned counsel to the applicant and I have also gone through the affidavit evidence. I am of the view that the application is meritorious. Consequently, the application is granted,” the judge ruled.
Naijaonpoint reports that on December 30, 2024, Justice Nwite had ordered the temporary forfeiture of the money after the ICPC and the Department of State Services (DSS) filed an ex parte motion.
The motion sought interim forfeiture of the funds recovered during a search at Ali’s residence in Kano. The DSS and ICPC were also directed to deposit the seized sum into an escrow account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and publish a notice for interested parties to claim the funds.
The interim order gave the agencies 90 days to conduct investigations into Ali’s activities and submit their findings.
In its affidavit, ICPC stated that the money was suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity, stressing that INEC does not pay its staff in foreign currency.
Iliya Markus, a litigation officer with the commission, disclosed that DSS operatives recovered the cash during a search carried out pursuant to a warrant jointly executed by the DSS and ICPC.
Markus added that Ali, in his statement to investigators, admitted receiving $150,000 from former Sokoto governors Aminu Tambuwal and Aliyu Wamakko, claiming it was given as a gift.
The affidavit also revealed that Ali had written to the DSS requesting the release of the seized funds, which were never declared to any law enforcement agency as required by law.
After no opposition was filed against the interim forfeiture, the court on Wednesday ordered the permanent forfeiture of the $49,700 to the Federal Government.
The judgment effectively ends the case, transferring ownership of the recovered funds to the state.
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