A federal high court in Abuja on April 24 ordered the interim forfeiture of nine properties linked to Timipre Sylva, saying the assets were suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities while it awaits a hearing on final forfeiture.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu made the order after an ex parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, directing that the interim ruling be published so anyone with an interest in the properties can appear within 14 days and show cause why the court should not make the forfeiture permanent. He also ordered that the ruling be published in two national newspapers within seven days of the court receiving a certified true copy of the judgment and adjourned the case to May 25 for a compliance report.
The case, filed as FHC/ABJ/CS/607/2026 under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, concerns properties in high-value parts of Abuja. They include four blocks of terraces in Dakibiyu, a duplex with a penthouse and office complex at No. 3 Niger street, M street, a standalone duplex at Villa 1, Unit 1, Palm Springs estate in Mpape, a block of 10 flats at No. 8 Sefadu street in Wuse Zone 4, a six-unit block of flats at No. 1 Mubi close in Garki, two blocks containing 12 flats at Plot 1181, Thaba Tseka crescent in Wuse II, a standalone duplex at No. 18 Nile Lake, Plot 1271, Maitama, and a two-block building at No. 5 Aguta street, Garki.
That last property is currently occupied by the National Information Technology Development Agency, adding a practical wrinkle to a case that otherwise follows the routine of an asset forfeiture proceeding. The court named ThisDay,, Punch, Vanguard, Tribune and Independent as possible newspapers for publication, but the legal issue now is narrower: whether anyone can come forward within the deadline and persuade the court that the properties should not be forfeited to the federal government.
Sylva is currently at large and is also named in a separate 13-count federal charge over allegations of a plot to oust President Bola Tinubu. For now, the Abuja ruling puts nine properties in legal limbo and starts a clock that could end with their final transfer to the government if no successful challenge is filed.
