The Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the permanent forfeiture of $13 million linked to businesswoman Aisha Achimugu and her company, Oceangate Engineering Oil & Gas Limited, to the Federal Government.
The decision was disclosed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in a statement issued via its X handle on Wednesday.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Emeka Nwite ruled that the firm failed to provide convincing proof of the legitimate origin of the funds, which were alleged to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
According to the court, the company could not satisfactorily explain how the money was generated, while the anti-graft agency established a connection between the funds and fraudulent dealings.
The judge also rejected claims that the money constituted gifts to the company’s Chief Executive Officer, noting that neither Achimugu nor any individual claiming to have made such donations appeared before the court to support the assertion.
He further held that Oceangate did not present evidence of genuine business transactions or client payments that could justify the $13 million.
The EFCC had earlier obtained an interim forfeiture order in August 2025 and subsequently published the notice in a national daily, calling on interested parties to show cause why the funds should not be permanently seized.
During proceedings, an investigator with the commission, Usman Aliyu, told the court that the money was suspected to have been deployed in the acquisition of oil blocks without due process and was traced to funds allegedly diverted from public contracts.
He described the company as a front used to hold petroleum assets acquired through illicit means, a position the court upheld in granting the final forfeiture order.
