The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has announced that it obtained a final forfeiture order for assets linked to retired Major-General Emmanuel Atewe. Atewe is a former commander of the military joint task force, Operation Pulo Shield, in the Niger Delta.
According to an EFCC statement, the forfeited assets consist of seven Federal Capital Territory (FCT) properties, one in Bayelsa state, and 30,000 MTN shares. Federal High Court Judge Chukujekwu Aneke in Lagos issued the order on Friday.
OsunDaily News understands that the properties include various plots of land in Abuja and Bayelsa and 50 hectares of farmland in Kuje, Abuja.
The EFCC had previously secured an interim forfeiture for these assets, along with 30,000 MTN shares and 290 million naira, suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity. The commission alleges that Atewe diverted N8.5 billion from the military between September 2014 and May 2015.
Atewe faces prosecution alongside Patrick Akpobolokemi, former director-general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA); Kime Enzogu, and Josephine Otuaga. They are charged with conspiracy, stealing, and money laundering.
While the court granted the federal government the final forfeiture of the properties, it denied the EFCC’s request to forfeit the 290 million naira sum.
