A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the permanent forfeiture of ₦150 million linked to serving House of Representatives member, Nicholas Mutu, after ruling that the funds were proceeds of unlawful activities.
The judgment was delivered by Justice J.O. Abdulmalik on Thursday, July 2, 2026, but only became public on Friday following reports of the court’s decision.
The ruling followed an application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which sought the final forfeiture of the money to the Federal Government.
The anti-graft agency’s application, argued by Ekele Iheanacho (SAN), was brought pursuant to Section 44(2) of the 1999 Constitution and Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
The court had earlier granted an interim forfeiture order and directed that it be published in a national newspaper to allow any interested party to challenge the application.
However, no sufficient reason was subsequently presented before the court to prevent the permanent forfeiture of the funds.
In his judgment, Justice Abdulmalik held that the EFCC had successfully established its case and consequently ordered that the ₦150 million be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government despite objections raised by Mutu and his company, Airworld Technologies Limited.
Court documents showed that EFCC investigators alleged that Mutu received kickbacks totalling ₦400,159,689.63 from Starline Consultancy Services, an agent of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), while serving as Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on the NDDC.
According to the Commission, the funds were allegedly laundered through Heritage Bank accounts belonging to Airworld Technologies Limited and Oyien Homes Limited, companies in which Mutu was said to be the major shareholder, while members of his immediate family served as shareholders and directors.
The EFCC told the court that Starline Consultancy Services had approached Mutu’s committee to assist in recovering debts allegedly owed to the NDDC by oil and gas companies operating in the Niger Delta region.
Following the intervention of the committee, the affected oil firms were invited to reconciliation meetings with the consultants, after which payment demand notices were issued.
The exercise reportedly led to the recovery of more than ₦100 billion for the NDDC.
Although the consultant was said to have received its legitimate fees, the anti-corruption agency alleged that part of the proceeds was later diverted to companies linked to Mutu as kickbacks.
The EFCC further alleged that during the course of investigations, Mutu arranged for the consultant to issue a backdated subcontract agreement to Airworld Technologies Limited in a bid to portray the payments as legitimate business transactions.
According to the Commission, the consultant later admitted that the subcontract arrangement was a sham and that no work was carried out by Mutu’s companies, adding that the documents were created solely to conceal the alleged kickback payments and frustrate investigations.
The anti-graft agency also informed the court that Mutu refunded ₦150 million during the investigation but later argued that the repayment was not voluntary.
The lawmaker maintained that the payments received by his companies resulted from lawful commercial transactions and relied on the disputed subcontract documents to support his position.
Justice Abdulmalik, however, rejected the argument and held that the ₦150 million constituted proceeds of unlawful activities and should therefore be permanently forfeited to the Nigerian government.
The judgment comes despite an ongoing appeal filed by the EFCC against an earlier decision by Justice F.O.G. Ogunbanjo, who had discharged and acquitted Mutu in a criminal money laundering case arising from the same set of facts.
According to the Commission, after being served with the notice of appeal, Mutu’s former counsel, P.I.N. Ikwueto (SAN), claimed he had not been authorised to receive the appeal documents on behalf of the lawmaker, while J.O. Asoluka (SAN), counsel to Airworld Technologies Limited, made a similar submission.
