EFCC Secures Interim Forfeiture of ₦30.7m in Alleged NNPCL Fraud Case
The Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, has granted an interim forfeiture order in favour of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) concerning the sum of ₦30.7 million suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities linked to officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
The order was made on an ex parte application filed by the EFCC.
Justice Nwite held that the Commission had placed sufficient material before the court to justify temporary forfeiture of the funds to the Federal Government.
The court directed that a forfeiture notice be published in a national newspaper, inviting interested parties to show cause within 14 days why the funds should not be permanently forfeited.
The matter was adjourned to 22 January 2026 for the EFCC to file a compliance report on the publication.
In a supporting affidavit, the EFCC said the funds are currently lodged in it’s Recovery Account with UBA, under the designation M/C Draft Outstanding Account.
The anti-graft agency told the court that the funds were discovered during investigations into alleged fraudulent activities involving some high-profile officials of the NNPCL. Revealed the involvement of Mr. Adamu Yakubu, a Bureau De Change operator, and Mr. Ibrahim Sani, a staff of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) featured prominently .
Yakubu’s ledger showed transactions exceeding ₦4 billion, transferred to various individuals and companies on Sani’s instructions.
The ₦30.7 million in issue was said to be the balance remaining with Yakubu from funds allegedly deposited by Sani.
Yakubu admitted receiving large deposits from Sani and transferring naira equivalents to accounts provided by him.
Sani confirmed using Yakubu to move funds but admitted he neither verified nor ascertained their source.
Both Yakubu and Sani denied ownership of the ₦30.7 million.
The EFCC maintained that the funds constitute proceeds of unlawful activities, relying on the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
Under Nigeria’s asset recovery framework, interim forfeiture orders serve to preserve suspected proceeds of crime pending determination. Affected parties are afforded the opportunity to contest forfeiture before a final order is made.
