Court Orders Final Forfeiture of $13 Million Related to Achimugu’s Oceangate Engineering Oil – THIS END

By Victor Osula, Abuja

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday ordered the final forfeiture of $13 million linked to Aisha Achimugu’s Oceangate Engineering Oil & Gas Ltd, ruling that the funds had not been proven to have been legitimately acquired.

Judge Emeka Nwite, who handed down the sentence, accepted the request for final confiscation presented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), finding that neither the company nor Achimugu were able to demonstrate the legal origin of the money.

In his ruling, the judge said the respondents failed to provide credible and verifiable evidence to demonstrate that the funds had been legitimately earned, thus justifying the court’s decision to permanently forfeit the sum to the federal government.

Judge Nwite specifically rejected the argument of Oceangate lawyer Darlington Ozurumba, who had argued that the $13 million came from donations to Achimugu as well as proceeds from oil and gas contracts. The Court found that the claims were not supported by material facts.

The judge also rejected the defense’s argument that the court had no jurisdiction to grant the provisional confiscation order issued on August 22, 2025, during its vacation sitting.

It determined that the order was validly made in line with existing laws and judicial procedures.

Agreeing with the submissions of the EFCC lawyer, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, Justice Nwite, found that all relevant legal provisions had been complied with to secure the provisional confiscation.

He cited, among others, Order 46(5) of the Rules of the Federal High Court and Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offenses Act, 2006.

The court also termed as “baseless” the argument that the anti-corruption agency acted like an “intruder” as no individual or entity had filed a complaint about the lack of funds.

Justice Nwite stressed that the EFCC has the legal power to investigate and recover suspected proceeds of illicit activities regardless of whether a formal petition is received.