The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has adjourned further proceedings in the forfeiture case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission against nine properties allegedly linked to former Bayelsa State Governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, to July 16, 2026.
The adjournment followed the EFCC’s inability to file a compliance report on an earlier interim forfeiture order issued by the court.
Presiding judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, had previously granted the interim forfeiture of the properties on April 24 after the anti-graft agency filed an ex parte motion seeking to temporarily seize the assets pending determination of the substantive case.
The court also directed that the interim order be published in national newspapers and that any interested parties should appear within 14 days to explain why the properties should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
At Monday’s resumed hearing, EFCC counsel, Oluwaleke Atolagbe, informed the court that while several parties had filed affidavits to contest parts of the forfeiture, compliance documentation ordered by the court was still incomplete.
He also told the court that some of the properties listed in the suit remain unclaimed.
According to him, “about six parties have come forward to show cause,” but no objections had been filed regarding three of the properties, which he said were still without claimants.
The EFCC further disclosed that it had filed a motion seeking final forfeiture of the unclaimed properties, but the court noted that the motion was not yet properly before it.
The judge expressed concern over service and compliance issues, stressing that all affected parties must be duly notified. He ordered the commission to ensure proper service of all pending processes and to publish the motion in the same manner as the interim order.
Justice Egwuatu also directed the EFCC to respond to all filings from parties contesting the forfeiture and to submit a proper compliance report before the next hearing date.
Representatives of various interested parties appeared in court, including counsel for properties listed in Maitama, Wuse II, Garki, Mpape, and other parts of Abuja.
The properties under interim forfeiture include residential duplexes, blocks of flats, and commercial buildings spread across high-brow areas of the Federal Capital Territory.
The case was subsequently adjourned to July 16, 2026, for a report of compliance and further proceedings.
