Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, Wednesday granted an interim forfeiture of 14 properties in Lagos, Abuja and the United Arab Emirates linked to the Kogi State Government.

The information which is contained in a statement, also says the Judge in addition, ordered the preservation of the Four Hundred Million Naira recovered from one Aminu Falala, reasonably suspected to have been derived from the unlawful activity, and intended to be used for the acquisition of Plot No.1224 Bishop Oluwole Street, Victoria Island Lagos.

Justice Oweibo granted the order following an ex parte application filed by the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The application was supported by an affidavit deposed to by an investigating officer with the EFCC, Adejunbi Mojisola.

Moving the motion for the application on Wednesday, counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, said that the properties, including Hotel Apartment Community in Burj Khalifa situated at, Plot 160 Municipality NO 345-7562, Sky View Building No 1, Property No 401, Floor 4, Dubai U.A.E., were reasonably suspected to have been derived from unlawful activity.

In his ruling on the application, Justice Oweibo granted the application as prayed and directed the commission to publish the interim order within 14 days, for any interested party to show cause why the forfeiture order should not be made in favour of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The case has been adjourned till March 28, 2023.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has trained 305 Detective Assistant cadets as part of its commitment to the fight against economic and financial crimes in the country.

Abdulrashid Bawa, Executive Chairman of EFCC, said this during the passing out parade of the Detective Assistant Course 3/2022, at the Police Mobile Force Training College, in Nasarawa-Eggon Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

The 305 Detective Assistant cadets comprised 260 males and 45 females were selected across the country. They were availed of complete combat operation training facilitated by the Police Mobile Force and the EFCC for six months.

Bawa said that the commission has continued to witness increasing successes in the fight against economic and financial crimes as it secured 3,785 convictions in 2022 alone.

The EFCC boss also attributed the successes of their operations as well as the recruitment and training of the cadets to President Muhammadu Buhari’s support and unwavering commitment in the fight against corruption.

He thanked the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali-Baba for supporting the Commission and availing it of the facility to be used for the training.

Commandant of the EFCC Academy, Ayo Olowonihi said the recruitment and training of the Detective Assistant cadets was a fulfillment of the President and Chairman’s cardinal policy object of human capital development in EFCC.

He thanked the Chairman for the opportunity given to the Academy to handle the tasks reassuring him of their readiness to do more in order to deliver on the mandate of the commission.

A coalition of civil society organizations has called for the removal of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa from office following his alleged disobedience to court orders

The over one hundred and twenty- civil society groups after rounding off a weeklong protest in Lagos addressed journalists during a town hall meeting.

They accused the EFCC of greater corruption and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately put machinery in motion to sanitize the commission in line with the fight against corruption by the present administration.

They later issued a seven-day ultimatum to President Muhammadu Buhari directing the Inspector General of police to effect the arrest order on Bawa and commit him to prison.

Meanwhile, the Spokesman of EFCC Wilson Uwujaren in his response said the protests by the CSOs against Bawa and the EFCC were sponsored by persons under investigation by the anti‐graft agency.

The angry protesters had earlier stormed the Lagos state House of Assembly, Alausa Ikeja with their petition to the speaker, Mudasiru Obasa for onward delivery to the National Assembly in Abuja.