THE Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the permanent forfeiture of $49,700 recovered from former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Sokoto State, Nura Ali, during the 2023 general elections.
Justice Emeka Nwite issued the ruling after the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) filed a motion requesting the final forfeiture of the funds.
Counsel to the ICPC, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, informed the court that the commission had complied with an earlier interim forfeiture order and had published notices inviting any interested party to claim ownership of the money. However, no one came forward to contest the application.
After reviewing the affidavit and submissions, Justice Nwite held that the application was valid and granted the request, ruling that the money be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
The case originated from a motion filed jointly by the ICPC and the Department of State Services (DSS) in December 2024, which sought a temporary forfeiture of the funds discovered at Ali’s residence in Kano during a search operation.
The agencies were also directed to deposit the cash into an escrow account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and publish a notice for potential claimants.
According to the supporting affidavit filed by ICPC litigation officer Iliya Markus, the $49,700 was suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity.
He noted that Ali had confessed to receiving $150,000 from former Sokoto State governors Aminu Tambuwal and Aliyu Wamakko, which he described as a “gift.”
The ICPC further argued that INEC officials are not paid in foreign currency, and that the application aimed to safeguard the funds while investigations continued.
Following the interim order and the expiration of the publication period without any challenge, the court has now granted the request for the funds to be permanently forfeited to the government.