A former Minister of Power has lost another property to the Federal Government after the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the permanent forfeiture of a luxury apartment linked to proceeds of corruption, while placing four other properties under interim forfeiture.
Justice James Omotosho granted the orders in favour of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), ruling that Walijam Apartments located on Lobito Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja, was acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities established during the former minister’s criminal trial. The court also issued interim forfeiture orders for four other properties, including Bloom Luxury Suites Nigeria Limited in Kaduna State, two mansions on Misratah Street in Wuse 2, Abuja, and A.U.A Plaza on Kade Street, Wuse 2, Abuja.
Justice Omotosho held that although the EFCC had not yet conclusively established ownership or beneficial interest in the four properties, the commission had presented sufficient grounds for interim forfeiture. He ordered the anti-graft agency to publish the order in a national newspaper within seven days to allow any interested party to challenge the forfeiture before it becomes permanent.
The judge rejected the argument by the former minister’s counsel that the court lacked jurisdiction after delivering judgment in the criminal case. He held that Section 321 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act empowers the court to make restitution and forfeiture orders even after conviction.
The EFCC told the court that the former minister was found to have diverted N22 billion out of the N33.8 billion involved in the case and that less than N2 billion had so far been recovered despite previous forfeiture orders. The commission argued that the additional properties were necessary to recover part of the outstanding proceeds of crime.
The latest ruling follows the court’s judgment delivered on May 7, which convicted the former minister on 12 counts of money laundering involving funds meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Projects.
Justice Omotosho sentenced him to a cumulative 75-year prison term after finding that he diverted at least N22 billion through proxy companies and associates. The court also ordered him to refund the outstanding balance of the stolen funds after deducting recovered assets and directed security agencies, including INTERPOL, to arrest him wherever found.
The judge described the diversion of funds meant for critical electricity projects as a grave abuse of public trust, noting that the former minister enriched himself while millions of Nigerians continued to face poor electricity supply.
Following weeks of surveillance, the EFCC arrested the former minister after his conviction and transferred him to a correctional facility to begin serving his sentence. EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede said the commission remained committed to ensuring he serves his jail term, while the former minister is also facing a separate criminal trial over an alleged N31 billion fraud.
The Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned a woman, Mbah Chidinma Sophina, before Justice F. O. Giwa-Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court sitting in Independence Layout, Enugu, on a three-count charge bordering on possession of fraudulent documents, forgery and identity theft.
Count one of the charges reads
“That you, Mbah Chidinma Sophina, sometime between 1st of January, 2026 to 30th of April, 2026 at Enugu, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria with intent to defraud, had in your possession, a document asserting that you are Florence-Gweh Togba Doaryenneh, which to your knowledge contained a false pretence and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 6 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 6 1 (3) of the same Act”.
Count two reads
“That you, Mbah Chidinma Sophina, sometime between 1st October, 2023 to 25th October, 2023 at Enugu, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, with intent to defraud, knowingly forged a Last Minute Healthcare card with number 03332408969 bearing the name of Florence-Gweh Togba Doaryenneh which you knew was false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (2) (a) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17, 2004 and punishable under the same Section of the Act”.
When the charges were read to her, she pleaded not guilty.
In view of her plea, counsel to the EFCC, Assistant Superintendent of the EFCC, ASE II Ahmad Yusuf Abdullahi prayed the court for a trial date to enable the prosecution prove its case and for the defendant to be remanded at the facility of the Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS, Enugu.
The defence counsel, M. I. Odo, prayed the court for a short date to enable him to file a bail application for the defendant.
Justice Giwa-Ogunbanjo thereafter adjourned the matter to November 19, 2026 for trial and remanded the defendant at the facility of the NCoS.
Meanwhile,the defendant is equally being prosecuted by the Commission, before Justice C. A. Ogbuabor of the Enugu State High Court, Enugu on a two-count charge bordering on stealing and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N19, 084, 000 (Nineteen Million, Eighty-Four Thousand Naira).
She was granted bail after pleading “not guilty” to the charges, and the matter was adjourned to September 18, 2026 for trial.
The defendant was arrested following claims of a petitioner that sometime in 2024, he informed the defendant, whom he met on Tik-Tok, of his intention to relocate to the United Kingdom through a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) in order to work as a caregiver. After paying the said sum to the defendant for the procuring of a CoS, the defendant allegedly failed to deliver documents as promised to him, before blocking him.
In the course of the investigation, operatives of the Commission executed a search at her residence and recovered an identification card bearing the defendant’s photograph with the name, Florence-Gweh Togba Doaryenneh.
The Abia State Police Command says it has identified and destroyed a suspected criminal camp in the state, warning that there is no hiding place for criminals.
In a statement issued on Thursday, by the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Maureen Chinaka, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, Danladi Isa, the command said that, leveraging actionable intelligence, it identified and dismantled a suspected criminal camp located within Unuobasi Forest in Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State.
“Operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit of the Command, in collaboration with the local security outfit in Umuobasi, carried out the operation on Sunday, 28/06/2026, leading to the destruction of the criminal camp and the disruption of criminal activities in the area. Monitoring of the area is still ongoing”, the statement partly read.
The statement added that the commissioner assured residents that “there will be no hiding place for criminals within the state.”
He reiterated the command’s commitment to its constitutional mandate of preventing crime and apprehending criminals.
The command re-emphasised that the police would continue to take the fight to the enclaves of criminals.
It also advised members of the public, as partners in crime prevention, to report any security concerns, suspicious persons, or activities to the nearest police station.
The Nigeria Customs Service, on Wednesday, handed over nine containers of seized hard drugs, expired, fake and prohibited pharmaceutical products with a duty-paid value of N53.391 billion to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.
Speaking during the handover ceremony in Apapa, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said the seizures reflected the outcome of diligent intelligence gathering and inter-agency collaboration aimed at protecting public health and national security.
He said the seizures were made by the Apapa Area Command following intelligence gathering, scanning analysis, physical examination and collaboration with the NDLEA.
Adeniyi said the event, coming days after the commemoration of the 2026 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, reaffirmed the service’s commitment to protecting Nigeria’s borders, safeguarding public health and strengthening national security through intelligence-driven border management.
He said the seizures included a 40-foot container with registration number CAAU7569127 containing 3,639 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing 1,819.5 kilograms, concealed alongside three imported vehicles and assorted automobile spare parts.
He added that another 40-foot container, with registration number HAMU3246311, contained 9,918 sachets of cannabis sativa weighing approximately 4.95 metric tonnes, concealed alongside two imported vehicles and household items.
According to him, another 40-foot container, with registration number MRKU3816476, contained 1,700 cartons of codeine syrup concealed with 38 cartons of insulated casserole dishes.
“Another 40-foot container with registration number TGBU5399178 conveying 1,698 cartons of codeine syrup concealed inside 36 cartons of casserole products; a 40-foot container, HASU4519480, conveying 1,300 cartons of expired pharmaceutical products, including tramadol; a 40-foot container with registration number MRKU4961275 conveying 1,269 cartons of expired pharmaceutical products, including oxytocin injections, Mexclor eye drops and carbamazepine tablets; another consignment in a 40-foot container with registration number PCIU8771576 comprising expired pharmaceutical products, including cloxicillin capsules, Cynamine 12 Vitamin B12 injections and Becoline B-Complex injections. All intercepted for regulatory action,” Adeniyi said.
He added that a 20-foot container with registration number MRKU6964435 containing Piccan teething powder and another 40-foot container with registration number TCKU7000791 containing 1,100 packages of Chacold chlorpheniramine maleate capsules bearing a fake National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control registration number and an expiry date of December 2028 were also seized.
“Cumulatively, these nine seizures have a duty-paid value of N53.391 billion only,” he said.
The Customs boss said the seizures resulted from intelligence analysis and non-intrusive inspection.
According to him, although the consignments initially appeared legitimate, detailed verification of the NAFDAC certificate presented by the declarant revealed that the products were not registered with the agency.
Adeniyi said the use of fake registration numbers and supporting documentation indicated a deliberate attempt to smuggle unregistered pharmaceutical products into Nigeria, posing a serious threat to public health.
“Consequently, the consignment was seized in accordance with the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, and will be handed over to NAFDAC for further regulatory action and investigation,” he said.
“They represent lives protected, families preserved, communities secured and countless young Nigerians shielded from the devastating consequences of drug abuse and unsafe medicines,” he said.
The CGC warned that the importation of expired pharmaceuticals and controlled substances poses a direct threat to public health, while the sophisticated concealment methods employed by criminal networks demonstrated their determination to exploit legitimate trade channels for illicit purposes.
He, however, said the interceptions also showed that the NCS possessed the intelligence capability, technological capacity and operational readiness to detect and disrupt such criminal activities.
“In accordance with the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, narcotic drugs falling within the statutory jurisdiction of the NDLEA will today be formally handed over to the agency for further investigation and prosecution. Similarly, expired pharmaceutical products will be transferred to NAFDAC for regulatory action and safe disposal,” he said.
He explained that where prohibited items were concealed alongside vehicles, automobile spare parts or other imported goods, only the narcotic drugs and expired pharmaceuticals would be handed over, while the remaining items would remain in Customs’ custody for seizure, forfeiture, condemnation, revenue recovery and other enforcement actions.
Commending officers of the Apapa Area Command, Adeniyi said the service would continue to deepen collaboration with relevant government agencies, the private sector and international partners to prevent criminal organisations from exploiting Nigeria’s ports and borders.
He vowed that every intelligence lead would be pursued, every violation thoroughly investigated and every offender brought to justice.
“We remain committed to building a secure trading environment that protects our economy, safeguards public health and reinforces national security. To those who seek to use our ports to traffic illicit drugs, expired pharmaceuticals or other prohibited goods, let today’s operation send a clear and unmistakable message that Nigeria’s ports are no longer safe havens for smugglers or organised criminal networks. Through technology, intelligence, coordinated border management and the professionalism of our officers, the Nigeria Customs Service is steadily closing the gaps previously exploited by criminal syndicates,” Adeniyi said.
He added that the service would continue to intercept, expose and prosecute all those who threaten the economy, compromise public health or undermine national security.
Earlier, the Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), while taking over the seized narcotics, described the event as a landmark in the collaboration between the NDLEA and the NCS.
Marwa, represented by Assistant Commander of Narcotics Archie-Abia Ogboba, said, “Together, we have taken 6,778.5 kilograms of Cannabis Indica, popularly known as ‘Canadian Loud,’ out of circulation.
Through two major seizures recorded on 15 and 24 June 2026, we send a clear and unequivocal message that we are more determined than ever to dismantle organised criminal syndicates and drug trafficking networks operating within and beyond our borders.”
Marwa added that both seizures resulted from intelligence-led operations conducted by the NDLEA Special Investigation Unit and Marine Intelligence Unit in collaboration with foreign partners, particularly the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
“Over four months, actionable intelligence was carefully developed, and our marine surveillance officers tracked the vessels and containers throughout their journey until both were successfully intercepted,” he said.
