The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday arraigned five individuals—Benjamin Okoye, Moughalu David Arinze, Okey Okeke, Ekene Mgbeokwere, and Eboh Thaddeus—before Justice A.O. Owoeye of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, for allegedly tampering with a property subject to interim forfeiture.
The anti-graft agency disclosed this in a statement today on its official X page.
The one-count charge alleged that the defendants, along with Ilongwo Angela, who is currently at large, unlawfully dealt with a forfeited property located at Plot 165C, Block 12, Diamond Estate, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos, in July 2024, contrary to Section 32(1) of the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge.
During the hearing, the prosecution counsel, Hannatu U. KofarNaisa, announced readiness to proceed with the trial and called a witness, Abubakar Mohammed, an EFCC operative and custodian of forfeited assets.
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Mohammed testified that the property in question had been marked by the EFCC after securing an interim forfeiture order.
He stated that the defendants were informed of the forfeiture during an inspection on July 22, 2024, and were asked to vacate the premises.
However, on July 29, 2024, the defendants allegedly broke the padlock and re-entered the property, prompting their arrest.
The prosecution presented the interim forfeiture order, dated October 6, 2017, as evidence, which the court admitted as Exhibit A.
Counsel to the first four defendants, M.C. Odo requested bail, citing the defendants’ time in custody.
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However, the prosecution stated that it had not received the bail application.
The court confirmed it was not on record and scheduled January 24, 2025, for a ruling on the bail applications.
Justice Owoeye adjourned the trial to February 14, 2025, for continuation, allowing the prosecution time to present additional documents.
