Emefiele denies ownership of forfeited assets, clarifies family ties

Former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele has distanced himself and his immediate family from the properties recently forfeited to the federal government by order of the Federal High Court in Lagos.

In a statement issued in Abuja by Barrister Olawale Fapohunda on behalf of his legal team, Emefiele acknowledged that some of the assets in question belong to his relatives, but he firmly denied personal ownership or any connection to the properties by his immediate family.

Clarifying one of the contested assets, he noted that DeepBlue Energy Limited, a company established in 2009, is owned by a relative and not himself, contrary to media reports.

He also highlighted that Justice Aneke of the same Federal High Court had previously discharged an interim forfeiture order on these assets, which have now been ruled for forfeiture by Justice Yellim Bogoro.

Emefiele called for fairness, urging those linking him and his family to the assets to cease doing so.

Part of the statement read:

“Our attention has been drawn to recent news reports indicating that Justice Bogoro of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, has granted a final forfeiture order on certain properties allegedly linked to one Anita Joy Omoile and her companies, including DeepBlue Energy Limited.

“It is important to clarify that DeepBlue Energy Limited, established in 2009, is owned by a relative of our client, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, but not by Mr. Emefiele himself.

“For the avoidance of any doubt, we, as the legal representatives of Godwin Emefiele, categorically disassociate our client from the ownership of the assets in question.

“For emphasis, the assets in question do not belong to our client or any member of his immediate family.

“Furthermore, information reaching us suggests that Justice Aneke of the same Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, had previously discharged an interim forfeiture order on the same assets now forfeited by Honourable Justice Bogoro.

“We urge all stakeholders and members of the public to take note of this clarification and stop associating these assets with Mr. Godwin Emefiele.”

Recall that the Federal High Court in Lagos had ordered the permanent forfeiture of $4.7 million, ₦830 million, and multiple properties allegedly linked to Emefiele.

Justice Yellim Bogoro, in a judgment delivered on Friday, February 21, 2025, also ordered the final forfeiture of investments worth $900,000 traced to one of Emefiele’s relatives, Anita Joy Omoile.

Similarly, the court ordered the final forfeiture of another $4.4 million worth of investment traced to DeepBlue Energy Services Ltd, another sum of ₦283 million in Zenith Bank traced to Liman Investment Ltd, €20,000, and £1,999.50, traced to Exactquote Bureau De Change (BDC), all companies linked to Omoile.