By Ado Oyeyemi
A Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, has ordered the permanent forfeiture of N150 million linked to a serving member of the House of Representatives, Nicholas Mutu, to the Federal Government.
The ruling was delivered by Justice J.O. Abdulmalik, who granted the application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission after finding no sufficient reason why the funds should not be forfeited.
The court held that the money would remain in the custody of the Federal Government, noting that no credible evidence was presented to challenge the commission’s request for permanent forfeiture.
The order followed an earlier interim forfeiture granted by the court, which also directed the anti-graft agency to publish the notice in a national newspaper to allow any interested party to contest the application.
However, after the publication and the expiration of the stipulated period, no objection deemed sufficient was filed before the court, paving the way for the final forfeiture order.
According to the EFCC, investigations linked the funds to alleged corrupt practices involving Mutu during his tenure as Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission.
The commission alleged that the lawmaker received kickbacks exceeding N400 million from a consultant engaged by the NDDC, adding that the N150 million ordered forfeited formed part of the proceeds traced during its investigation.
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After considering the submissions before it, the court ruled in favour of the EFCC and affirmed the final forfeiture of the funds to the Federal Government.
