The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured another major victory in its anti-corruption campaign, as a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court ordered the final forfeiture of assets worth over N8.9 billion linked to businesswoman Aisha Achimugu.
The development comes barely 48 hours after the commission secured the forfeiture of 48 properties linked to former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Jude Onwugbuzie of the FCT High Court, Apo, Abuja, ordered that the recovered assets be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government after ruling that Achimugu failed to establish that they were acquired through legitimate means.
The forfeited assets include jewellery valued at N4.645 billion, 11 exotic vehicles worth N4.293 billion, $50,000 in foreign currency, and N30 million in cash.
According to the EFCC, investigations began after financial intelligence reports flagged more than 136 bank accounts allegedly linked to Achimugu, through which billions of naira and millions of dollars were said to have passed.
The anti-graft agency said further investigations revealed that companies linked to the businesswoman did not declare the huge inflows as revenue in their filings with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), raising suspicions over the source of the funds.
EFCC operatives later conducted searches at her residence, where they recovered the jewellery, exotic vehicles, foreign currency and cash.
The commission also stated that although Achimugu completed an Assets Declaration Form during interrogation, the recovered assets were allegedly not disclosed in the declaration.
The EFCC, through its lead counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, approached the court under Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, seeking the forfeiture of the assets.
Justice Onwugbuzie had earlier granted an interim forfeiture order on April 23, 2026, directing the EFCC to publish the order in national newspapers to allow anyone with an interest in the assets to challenge the application within 14 days.
Achimugu, through her legal team, opposed the application and filed processes seeking to set aside the interim order, while the EFCC filed a counter-affidavit in response.
In his final judgment delivered on July 16, 2026, the judge held that Achimugu failed to disprove the EFCC’s evidence or provide sufficient proof that the assets were lawfully acquired.
The ruling marks another significant milestone in the EFCC’s ongoing anti-graft campaign, reinforcing the commission’s resolve to recover assets believed to have been acquired through illicit means.
