Nine high-value Abuja properties allegedly connected to former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, have been placed under interim forfeiture by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The order, granted by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, followed an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which argued that the assets were suspected proceeds of unlawful activities.
The properties, located in some of Abuja’s most sought-after districts, are to remain under temporary forfeiture pending the determination of a substantive application seeking their permanent forfeiture to the Federal Government.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/607/2026, the anti-graft agency invoked provisions of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, urging the court to preserve the assets while investigations and legal proceedings continue.
Granting the application, Justice Egwuatu ordered the temporary forfeiture of the properties and directed that notices be published in national newspapers inviting any interested parties to appear before the court within 14 days to show cause why the assets should not be permanently forfeited.
The court also instructed the EFCC to publish the order in at least two national dailies within seven days of obtaining the certified true copy of the ruling.
Among the affected assets are four blocks of terrace apartments in Dakibiyu, a duplex with a penthouse and office complex in Maitama, a standalone duplex in Palm Springs Estate, Mpape, as well as several residential blocks in Wuse II, Wuse Zone 4, Garki and Maitama.
Also listed among the properties are buildings currently occupied by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in Garki.
The forfeiture order is the latest development in the EFCC’s ongoing investigation involving Sylva. The commission had previously declared the former governor wanted over an alleged $14.8 million fraud linked to funds reportedly invested by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in a refinery project.
An arrest warrant had also been issued against him by a Federal High Court in Lagos in 2025.
Justice Egwuatu adjourned the matter for a report on compliance with the publication order and further proceedings on the forfeiture application.
