By Correspondent in Abuja.
A property forfeiture case involving Galaxy Transportation and Construction Services Limited has sparked fresh legal and ethical debates, as the company accuses the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of abusing court processes, while the anti-graft agency insists it acted strictly within the bounds of the law.
In a statement released on Friday, the Executive Chairman of Galaxy, Mr. Babagana Dalori, alleged that the EFCC deliberately misled a Federal High Court in Abuja to secure a final forfeiture order on a wide range of properties, including N335 million in cash, a hospital, and five petroleum filling stations.
According to Dalori, the court had granted a forfeiture order in August 2024 on the condition that due procedural steps,such as publication in national dailies be followed, which he claimed was only recently carried out.
However, he argued that the order itself was invalid, citing a previous ruling from a court of coordinate jurisdiction that had set aside an earlier interim forfeiture order based on an uncontested application filed by the company.
“Following the setting aside of that order, the properties were lawfully disposed of, in good faith, and used to settle verified debts, well before any second suit was filed by the EFCC,” Dalori said.
He further claimed that EFCC’s legal representative, Fadila Yusuf, who was involved in the initial proceedings, failed to inform the second court of the earlier judgment, amounting to what he described as “forum shopping” and a “clear abuse of judicial process.”
“This same EFCC counsel abandoned a motion to set aside the judgment in the first court, only to file a fresh ex parte application elsewhere without disclosing material facts.
This misled the court into granting a forfeiture order over assets that had already changed hands lawfully,” the statement added.
The disputed assets span across Abuja, Nasarawa, Niger, Kaduna, and Borno states, and include residential and commercial properties, farmlands, and healthcare facilities. Some of the listed properties are:
Duplex at No. Bo/12340, Maiduguri, Borno State
Residential apartments at Plot No. 12, Equilibrium Estate, Abuja
Galaxy Hospital, Bolori Layout, Maiduguri
Multiple filling stations in Kaduna and Borno States
Farmland and residential plots in Karu, Nasarawa and Dakwa, Niger State
However, in a swift rebuttal, EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Dele Oyewale, dismissed the allegations as baseless.
He maintained that the Commission scrupulously adhered to all legal requirements in securing both interim and final forfeiture orders.
“It is ridiculous and untenable for Galaxy Transportation and Construction Services Limited to offer assets under investigation and litigation for sale while legal proceedings were ongoing,” Oyewale said.
He emphasized that the court’s jurisdiction was not in question and that the Commission remains committed to ensuring that proceeds of crime are recovered and returned to the government.
“There is no going back on the final forfeitures of the assets. They have been lawfully forfeited, and as usual with such rulings, the Commission will proceed with enforcement,” he added.
As the legal battle continues, Galaxy has urged its stakeholders and the public to remain calm, expressing confidence that the “truth will ultimately prevail” through ongoing judicial processes.
The case underscores growing tensions between property rights, due process, and anti-corruption enforcement in Nigeria,highlighting the delicate balance between law enforcement’s mandate to recover illicit assets and the rights of accused individuals and entities to a fair hearing.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
