A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Apo, Abuja, has ordered the final forfeiture of assets valued at about N8.9bn and linked to businesswoman Aisha Achimugu to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The assets, traced to Achimugu by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, comprise high-value jewellery estimated at N4.65bn, 11 luxury vehicles collectively worth N4.29bn, as well as $50,000 and N30m in cash. The court held that the EFCC had sufficiently demonstrated that the properties were proceeds of unlawful activities.

Delivering judgment on the commission’s application for final forfeiture, Justice Jude Onwugbuzie ruled that the assets had no credible lawful explanation and should therefore be permanently transferred to the Federal Government. The judge affirmed that the burden placed on the respondent to show legitimate ownership was not discharged.

The EFCC had earlier obtained an interim forfeiture order after presenting investigative findings that linked the seized items to suspicious financial flows and alleged economic crimes. Following the interim order, the court directed that interested parties come forward to show cause why the properties should not be finally forfeited.

At the conclusion of the proceedings, the court found that no convincing evidence of legitimate acquisition had been placed before it. Justice Onwugbuzie consequently granted the EFCC’s motion, ordering that the jewellery, vehicles, and cash sums be forfeited to the Federal Government without further encumbrance.

The ruling marks one of the most high-profile asset forfeiture decisions involving a private business figure in recent years and underscores the EFCC’s increasing reliance on civil forfeiture mechanisms to recover suspected proceeds of crime. Legal analysts note that such cases, which do not always require a prior criminal conviction, are becoming a central tool in Nigeria’s anti-corruption drive.

The EFCC is expected to move to dispose of the assets in line with extant regulations governing the management and liquidation of forfeited properties, with proceeds to be paid into government coffers. The commission has maintained that aggressive asset recovery remains critical to deterring economic and financial crimes and restoring public funds.