Abuja high court vacates interim forfeiting order against 40 of Ekweremadu's properties

FORMER deputy senate president Senator Ike Ekweremadu gas secured a significant victory in his ongoing battle with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after an Abuja high court vacated an interim order forfeiting 40 of his properties to the government.

Last November, the EFCC secured a high court order for an interim forfeiture of 40 landed property belonging to Senator Ekweremadu. Justice Inyang Ekwo of the federal high court Abuja gave the order following an ex-parte motion filed and moved by Ibrahim Buba on behalf of the EFCC.

This interim forfeiture order covers 10 properties in Enugu, three in the US, two in the UK, one in Lagos, nine in Dubai and 15 in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Senator Ekweremadu is currently in detention in the UK where he faces human trafficking charges, having been arrested in June on suspicion of wanting to buy a human organ for his daughter.

In a rare piece of good news for the senator, yesterday, Justice Ekwo vacated the interim forfeiture order on his properties following a revelation that it was fraudulently obtained by the federal government. While lifting the order, the judge held that the EFCC which obtained the order on behalf of the federal government, concealed information that led to granting it.

Specifically, Justice Ekwo said that EFCC, which was fully aware that Senator Ekweremadu was in custody in the UK, failed to make the vital information available to the court. With his detention in London, the judge agreed with Chief Adegboyega Awomolo counsel to Senator Ekweremadu, that there was no way the former deputy senate president would be able to defend his ownership of the disputed properties.