Diezani Urges Court to Halt EFCC’s Sale of Seized Assets, Anti-Graft Agency Insists Properties Were Lawfully Auctioned

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to stop the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from selling off properties seized from her. Through her legal team, led by Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), she also urged the court to order the EFCC to recover any assets already sold to individuals or companies.

Alison-Madueke argued that the EFCC commenced the public auction of her assets based on forfeiture orders obtained without giving her a fair hearing. She claimed she was never served with any criminal charges, proof of evidence, or court summons regarding the seized properties. According to her, the forfeiture orders were secured through misrepresentation and suppression of facts, leading to their issuance by courts that allegedly lacked jurisdiction.

She further stated that while the EFCC justified the seizures by alleging the assets were proceeds of unlawful activities, she had never been convicted of any crime. Alison-Madueke insisted that forfeiture orders issued in criminal-related cases should be based on strict legal proof, not just a civil standard of evidence. She noted that she had been outside Nigeria since 2015 for medical treatment and was unaware of the proceedings due to her absence.

Her counsel contended that since several suits challenging the forfeiture were still pending before courts in Lagos, the sale of the properties should not proceed as it could render ongoing legal actions meaningless.

In response, the EFCC filed a counter-affidavit, asserting that the properties were lawfully forfeited and auctioned following court orders. The commission explained that criminal proceedings against Alison-Madueke were initiated in various courts, citing cases such as FHC/ABJ/CR/208/2018 and HC/ADYL/56c/2017. The EFCC emphasized that it had made public announcements inviting interested parties to contest the forfeitures before the properties were auctioned.

The anti-graft agency maintained that final forfeiture orders issued by Justices C.A. Obiozor and I.N. Oweibo in 2019 remained valid and had not been overturned. It insisted that the assets were disposed of in accordance with due legal processes.

During the court session, Alison-Madueke’s lawyer, Godwin Iyibor, requested more time to respond to the EFCC’s counter-affidavit, which was served on him on March 14. The EFCC’s counsel, Divine Okoro, explained that procedural challenges had delayed the commission’s filing of its response.

Justice Inyang Ekwo adjourned the case to March 27 for a definite hearing.