Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the interim forfeiture of nine properties allegedly connected to former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva.
The judge granted the order after hearing an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Egwuatu ruled that the properties, believed to be proceeds of unlawful activities, should temporarily be forfeited to the Federal Government pending the determination of a motion for final forfeiture.
He also directed that the interim forfeiture order be published in at least two national newspapers, inviting any interested party to appear before the court within 14 days to explain why the assets should not be permanently forfeited to the government.
The court further ordered that the publication be made within seven days after obtaining the certified true copy of the ruling.
The matter was adjourned until May 25 for a compliance report.
Counsel to the EFCC, Oluwaleke Atolagbe, urged the court to approve the application, arguing that the properties were reasonably suspected to have been acquired through unlawful means.
The affected assets are located in several high-profile areas of Abuja, including Maitama, Wuse, Garki, Mpape, and Dakibiyu.
Among the properties are four blocks of terraces in Dakibiyu; a duplex with a penthouse and office complex on Niger Street; a standalone duplex at Palm Springs Estate, Mpape; and a 10-unit block of flats in Wuse Zone 4.
Others include a six-unit block of flats in Garki; two blocks containing 12 flats in Wuse II; a standalone duplex in Maitama; and a two-block structure in Garki currently occupied by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
The application was filed under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, with the EFCC seeking temporary forfeiture pending further legal proceedings.
Sylva, a former governor of Bayelsa State, has also been linked to an alleged failed coup plot against President Bola Tinubu, although he has not been formally charged over the allegation and is reportedly still at large.