Abuja Court Permanently Forfeits $49,700 Seized from Ex-INEC Official to FG

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has mandated the permanent forfeiture of $49,700 recovered from Dr. Nura Ali, the former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Sokoto State, to the Federal Government.

Dependable NG reports that Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the ruling on Wednesday after the counsel for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Osuobeni Akponimisingha, moved a motion seeking the final forfeiture. The ICPC informed the court that it had strictly complied with the interim order for temporary forfeiture, including the required publication of a public notice to invite any interested claimants. Crucially, no party came forward to challenge the forfeiture or claim ownership of the funds.

Justice Nwite declared the application meritorious, thus ordering that the recovered US dollar sum be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government. The funds were initially seized during a joint search operation conducted by the ICPC and the Department of State Services (DSS) at Dr. Ali’s residence in Kano.

Investigators had alleged that the money was part of bribes received by the former REC during his tenure in Sokoto State. The court had previously granted an interim forfeiture order for the sum in December 2024 to facilitate the ongoing investigation. The anti-graft agency strongly maintained that INEC does not remunerate its officials or Resident Electoral Commissioners in US dollars. The ICPC further stated that the forfeiture was necessary to preserve the funds, which are strongly suspected to be proceeds of crime, as Dr. Ali failed to provide any legitimate or verifiable explanation for the source of the currency.