The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the permanent forfeiture of $49,700 recovered from Nura Ali, a former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Sokoto State, during the 2023 general elections.
Justice Emeka Nwite issued the order on Wednesday, October 29, following an application filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Counsel to the ICPC, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, informed the court that the commission had complied with an earlier order for temporary forfeiture of the funds and published a public notice inviting any interested parties to show cause why the money should not be permanently forfeited.
He noted that since the publication, no individual or entity had come forward to claim ownership of the funds or challenge the forfeiture.
In his ruling, Justice Nwite said he found merit in the application, stating:
“I have listened to the submission of the learned counsel to the applicant and I have also gone through the affidavit evidence. I am of the view that the application is meritorious. Consequently, the application is granted.”
The ruling effectively transfers the $49,700 to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The judge had earlier, on December 30, 2024, granted an interim order of forfeiture after the ICPC and the Department of State Services (DSS) filed a motion ex parte seeking to temporarily seize the funds.
The motion followed the recovery of the money from Ali’s residence in Kano during a DSS operation conducted pursuant to a duly obtained search warrant.
In its supporting affidavit, the ICPC stated that the funds were suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity, noting that INEC does not pay staff in foreign currency. The affidavit was deposed to by Iliya Markus, a litigation officer with the commission.
According to the affidavit, Ali had admitted in an extra-judicial statement that he received $150,000 from former Sokoto State governors Aminu Tambuwal and Aliyu Wamakko, describing the money as a “gift.”
He later wrote to the DSS requesting the release of the seized funds, but investigators noted that he failed to declare the foreign currency as required by law.
Following the interim order, the court had directed the ICPC and DSS to deposit the seized funds in an escrow account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and to publish a notice inviting claims from potential owners.
After no objections or claims were filed, the court has now ordered the permanent forfeiture of the $49,700 to the Federal Government, bringing the case to a close.