The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of ₦150 million linked to a member of the House of Representatives, Nicholas Mutu, to the Federal Government.
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Mutu, who represents Bomadi/Patani Federal Constituency of Delta State, is a six-term lawmaker. He was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party before defecting to the All Progressives Congress in 2025.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission disclosed the forfeiture order in a statement issued on Friday by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale.
According to the EFCC, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik made the order on Thursday after granting the commission’s application for final forfeiture of the money.
The anti-graft agency said the court considered its application, the objections filed by Mutu and his company, Airworld Technologies Limited, as well as the affidavits before the court, before holding that the application had merit.
Justice Abdulmalik held that the ₦150 million refunded by Mutu constituted proceeds of unlawful activities and consequently ordered that the money be finally forfeited to the Federal Government.
The EFCC’s legal team, led by Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, filed the application under Section 44(2) of the 1999 Constitution and Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.
The commission said the court had earlier granted an interim forfeiture order and directed that the order be published in a national newspaper to enable any interested party to show cause why the money should not be permanently forfeited.
It maintained that no sufficient cause was shown to stop the final forfeiture of the funds.
The forfeiture order comes months after another judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja, Justice Folashade Giwa-Ogunbanjo, discharged and acquitted Mutu of money laundering charges involving ₦320 million arising from related alleged transactions.
In that judgment delivered in April, the court held that the prosecution failed to prove that the funds in the criminal charge were proceeds of crime.
The EFCC has appealed that decision.
The commission stated that the forfeiture proceedings were based on investigations which allegedly showed that Mutu received kickbacks totalling ₦400,159,689.63 from Starline Consultancy Services, a consultant to the Niger Delta Development Commission.
According to the EFCC, the alleged payments were made while Mutu served as Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on the NDDC.
The commission alleged that the funds were paid through Heritage Bank accounts belonging to Mutu’s companies, Airworld Technologies Limited and Oyien Homes Limited.
It said Mutu is a director and majority shareholder in both companies, while his wife and other immediate family members are also listed as shareholders and directors.
The EFCC further alleged that Starline Consultancy Services had approached the House committee to assist in recovering debts owed to the NDDC by oil and gas companies operating in the Niger Delta.
Following the committee’s intervention, the oil companies reportedly appeared before the House, where outstanding figures were reconciled with the consultant.
The commission said the committee later issued demand notices to the affected companies, resulting in the recovery of more than ₦100 billion for the NDDC.
It alleged that while the consultant received professional fees for the recovery exercise, Mutu’s companies also received part of the funds.
The EFCC claimed that during investigation, Mutu caused the consultant to issue a subcontract letter in favour of Airworld Technologies Limited to conceal the alleged kickback payments.
The commission said the subcontract arrangement was allegedly created to cover up the payments, mislead investigators and pervert the course of justice.
According to the EFCC, Mutu refunded ₦150 million during investigation but later claimed that the refund was not made voluntarily.
The lawmaker was said to have maintained that the payments received by his companies were from lawful transactions, relying on the subcontract documents to support his position.
However, the EFCC said the consultant later confirmed that the subcontract was merely a cover and that Mutu’s companies carried out no work under the arrangement.
Mutu had earlier been prosecuted alongside Airworld Technologies Limited and Oyien Homes Limited on 13 counts of money laundering and gratification involving ₦320 million.
The charges related to alleged payments made while he chaired the House Committee on the NDDC between August 2014 and August 2016.
Although he was discharged and acquitted in the criminal trial, the EFCC said it had already filed an appeal against the judgment, insisting that the appeal arose from the same facts and evidence.
The commission also said that after the notice of appeal was served, counsel who represented Mutu and Airworld Technologies Limited during the criminal trial indicated that they had not been instructed to receive the appeal processes on behalf of their clients.
With the latest ruling, the ₦150 million refund linked to the investigation has now been permanently forfeited to the Federal Government, while the EFCC’s appeal against Mutu’s earlier acquittal remains pending.
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