Emefiele’s Lawyers Reject Link to Forfeited Properties

• Emefiele’s legal team denies any connection to forfeited properties linked to Anita Joy Omoile and her companies

• The team clarified that DeepBlue Energy Limited is owned by a relative but not directly linked to Emefiele

The legal team representing former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, has strongly denied any connection between him and the properties recently forfeited by a Federal High Court in Lagos.

In a statement issued on Friday, Emefiele’s lawyer, Olawale Fapohunda, Esq., dismissed reports suggesting that the ex-CBN governor had ownership ties to the assets linked to Anita Joy Omoile and her companies, including DeepBlue Energy Limited.

“To avoid doubt, we categorically disassociate our client from the ownership of the assets in question,” the statement read. “The assets do not belong to our client or any member of his immediate family.”

The clarification comes after Justice Bogoro of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi issued a final forfeiture order on the disputed properties. However, Emefiele’s legal team pointed out that another judge from the same court, Justice Aneke, had previously lifted an interim forfeiture order on the same assets.

The legal team further clarified that while DeepBlue Energy Limited was incorporated in 2009 by a relative of Emefiele, the former CBN governor has no direct ownership or involvement in the company’s affairs.

In light of these facts, Emefiele’s lawyers urged the public to disregard reports attempting to link him to the forfeited assets, stressing that such claims misrepresent the situation.

The development is the latest in a series of legal and investigative challenges surrounding Emefiele, who has been under scrutiny following his tenure at the apex bank.