Court adjourns Sylva-linked property forfeiture case to February

The Federal High Court in Abuja has given the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission another opportunity to complete procedural requirements in its bid to permanently forfeit nine properties linked to former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, to the Federal Government.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu adjourned the case until February 23, 2027, for a report of compliance after the matter could not proceed on Tuesday because the judge was engaged in another official assignment.
The case concerns nine properties in high-value areas of Abuja, which the EFCC alleges are liable to forfeiture.
At the previous proceedings, the commission's lawyer, Oluwaleke Atolagbe, told the court that about six parties had filed affidavits to show cause why some of the properties should not be permanently forfeited.
However, he said no interested party had come forward in respect of three of the assets.
The properties include a 10-unit block of flats in Wuse Zone 4, a six-unit block of flats at No. 1, Mubi Close, and a standalone duplex at No. 18, Nile Lake, Plot 1271, Maitama.
Atolagbe informed the court that the EFCC had filed a motion on notice on May 22 seeking the final forfeiture of the three properties, following the absence of claims from interested parties.
However, the judge observed that the application was not in the court file.
Justice Egwuatu also questioned whether all the parties who had indicated interest in the affected properties had been served with the relevant court processes.
Atolagbe admitted that only one of the parties had been served.
The EFCC lawyer said the commission had complied with an earlier directive to publish the interim forfeiture order in two national newspapers, including Tribune.
He, however, acknowledged that the commission had yet to file an affidavit of compliance.
Consequently, the judge directed the EFCC to publish its application for final forfeiture of the three unclaimed properties in the same manner as the earlier interim order.
He also ordered the commission to serve all parties who were yet to receive the relevant processes and file its compliance report.
The judge further directed Atolagbe to respond to the processes filed by interested parties, stressing the need to observe the requirements of fair hearing.
The court had, on April 24, granted an interim forfeiture order covering the nine properties linked to Sylva, a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, following an ex-parte application filed by the EFCC in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/607/2026.
Under the order, the commission was directed to publish the decision in two national newspapers within seven days of receiving the certified true copy, allowing interested persons 14 days to explain why the assets should not be permanently forfeited.
During earlier proceedings, lawyers appeared for parties claiming interests in six of the properties.
The assets include four blocks of terraces at Dakibiyu, a two-block building in Garki currently occupied by the National Information Technology Development Agency, a duplex with a penthouse and office complex in Maitama, and eight one-bedroom flats on Misratah Street, Wuse II.
Others are two blocks containing 12 flats at Thaba Tseka Crescent, Wuse II, and a standalone duplex at Palm Springs Estate, Mpape.
The court's latest directive means the EFCC must complete the outstanding service and publication requirements before the forfeiture proceedings can advance.