Nigeria's anti-graft agency has won court backing to seize a hotel and over 14 million naira from a deceased ExxonMobil worker who allegedly used fake papers to land his job. Okon Tom Ekpo faced accusations of identity theft and credential fraud before his death, prompting authorities to pursue asset recovery through plea negotiations that targeted Hevee Hotel near the Lagos-Ibadan highway and his bank holdings.
Federal High Court Justice Owoeye rejected a widow's challenge to the confiscation, ruling that no deception had been proven and that lower courts lacked the power to revisit concluded forfeitures. The anti-corruption commission celebrated the outcome as a watershed moment for asset seizures, with its legal team successfully defending procedures that began with interim orders and newspaper notifications before final judgment transferred the properties to government control.
Federal High Court Justice Owoeye rejected a widow's challenge to the confiscation, ruling that no deception had been proven and that lower courts lacked the power to revisit concluded forfeitures. The anti-corruption commission celebrated the outcome as a watershed moment for asset seizures, with its legal team successfully defending procedures that began with interim orders and newspaper notifications before final judgment transferred the properties to government control.
