A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Apo, Abuja, has granted a final forfeiture order over properties linked to businesswoman, Ms Aisha Achimugu, in favour of the Federal Government.
The properties include jewellery worth ₦4,645,170,294.90 (Four Billion, Six Hundred and Forty-Five Million, One Hundred and Seventy Thousand, Two Hundred and Ninety-Four Naira, Ninety Kobo), 11 exotic cars worth ₦4,293,000,000 (Four Billion, Two Hundred and Ninety-Three Million Naira), $50,000 (Fifty Thousand United States Dollars), and ₦30,000,000 (Thirty Million Naira) in cash.
Justice Jude Onwugbuzie granted the order on Thursday, July 16, 2026, while delivering judgment on an application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the final forfeiture of the properties.
The assets were found by the EFCC to be proceeds of unlawful activities. Investigations by the Commission followed its receipt of financial intelligence indicating huge inflows and outflows through more than 136 bank accounts linked to Achimugu, involving billions of naira and millions of dollars.
The investigation further revealed that the substantial funds that passed through companies operated by Achimugu were not disclosed as revenue in the companies’ financial statements filed with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
In the course of the investigation, the EFCC executed search warrants at Achimugu’s residence, where the forfeited assets were recovered. During interrogation, she was given an Assets Declaration Form to complete but did not disclose the recovered assets as her properties.
The EFCC’s findings showed that the huge sums received into accounts linked to Achimugu were not derived from legitimate business activities and that the recovered assets were not from lawful sources.
Following the outcome of the investigation, the EFCC, through its legal team led by Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, filed an application for an interim forfeiture order over the properties in favour of the Federal Government of Nigeria, pursuant to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act.
The matter came before Justice Jude Onwugbuzie, who, on April 23, 2026, granted the application and directed the EFCC to publish the order in national newspapers, inviting any person in possession of, or interested in, the assets to show cause within 14 days why a final forfeiture order should not be granted.
The EFCC complied with the court’s directive and published the order. It subsequently filed a motion for the final forfeiture of the properties.
Achimugu, through her legal team, filed affidavits to show cause why the assets should not be forfeited, as well as a motion seeking to set aside the interim order. The EFCC opposed the application through a counter-affidavit.
After hearing arguments from counsel for both parties, the court adjourned the matter until July 16, 2026, for judgment.
On Thursday, the court delivered judgment and granted a final order forfeiting the assets to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The court held that Achimugu failed to dislodge the evidence presented by the EFCC and did not discharge the burden of proving that the assets were acquired from lawful sources.
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