The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court has fixed January 25 for ruling on Ike Ekweremadu’s application, seeking an order setting aside the November 4 interim forfeiture order on 40 properties linked to him by EFCC.

Justice Inyang Ekwo fixed the date on Thursday after Adegboyega Awomolo, who appeared for Mr Ekweremadu, and the EFCC’s lawyer, Sylvanus Tahir, argued their case.

Mr Ekwo had, on November 4, granted the anti-graft agency’s ex parte motion, seeking an interim order of forfeiture of some property of Mr Ekweremadu, former deputy debate president.

The judge granted the motion and ordered the agency to publish the interim forfeiture order of the property in a national daily within seven days, directing anybody with interest in the forfeited property to indicate within 14 days of the publication why the property should not be permanently forfeited to the federal government.

Mr Ekweremadu’s eldest child, Lloyd, the Anambra government and a company, Uni-medical Healthcare Limited, had, on December 5, appeared in court as parties interested in the seized property.

The younger Ekweremadu, in a motion on notice, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1242/2022 and filed by Mr Awomolo, prayed the court for an order setting aside the Interim forfeiture order on his father’s property and companies. 

Mr Ekweremadu, in a four-ground argument, said the facts in support of the EFCC’s ex parte originating motion “deliberately and fraudulently omitted very critical facts/evidence, which negate the granting of the application.” He argued that the motion in which the anti-graft agency commenced the action was filed in absolute bad faith.

According to him, the originating motion ex parte was an abuse of the judicial process, oppressive, intimidating and unfair to the parties interested in the property forfeited in the interim.

The Anambra government, in its application, said one of the properties listed in the interim order of forfeiture granted by the court belonged to the state.

Through its counsel, Chuks Igbinedion, the state government told Mr Ekwo in the affidavit that the property belonged to Anambra. The lawyer said the property neither belonged to Mr Ekweremadu nor his wife, Beatrice, including Power Properties Ltd, their private company.

Besides, Uni-medical Healthcare Limited, in its affidavit to show cause, urged the court to discharge the interim order made against “the property in No. 7 to Schedule “A” of the application.”

The firm’s regional manager, Onyebuchi Michael, averred that the company was the legal owner of the property at Plot 680 and 681, Independence Layout, Enugu. He said the company bought the property from Power Properties Nigeria Limited in the sum of N300 million in August 2021, and the perfection of the title was completed on March 24, which he said predated the EFCC’s application dated and filed on July 27.

They all prayed the court to set aside the interim order and dismiss the EFCC’s application.