By Anamati Inyang, November 26, 2025
A Federal High Court in Ikoyi has ordered the final forfeiture of Hevee Hotel and the sum of N14,160,655.35, following an investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) into a former ExxonMobil employee who allegedly secured his employment with fake academic credentials.
The assets were traced to the late Mr. Okon Tom Ekpo, who was accused of impersonating another individual to obtain a job with ExxonMobil Producing Company. After uncovering the alleged fraud, the ICPC charged him before the Ikeja High Court.
Before his death, Mr. Ekpo entered into plea bargain discussions with the Commission and agreed to forfeit Hevee Hotel, located at Alafia Estate off the Lagos Ibadan Expressway, along with funds in his United Bank for Africa account. Based on this, the Commission filed an in rem application for the forfeiture of his assets on December 9, 2022, at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi.
On January 13, 2023, Hon. Justice T. G. Ringim granted an interim forfeiture order and directed the ICPC to publish notices of the order. The Commission complied, publishing the notices in Leadership and The Sun newspapers and in a national gazette on March 16, 2023.
Following an affidavit of compliance and a motion for final forfeiture, the court granted the final order on March 13, 2024, resulting in the forfeiture of the hotel and the N14.1 million to the Federal Government.
The defendants wife later sought to challenge the forfeiture, alleging fraud and requesting the court to set aside the orders. The ICPC legal team, Mrs. Yvonne William Mbata, Mrs. Roseline Eze and Mrs. Yemisi Pereira, argued that the court had become functus officio, having already concluded the matter.
Delivering his ruling on November 21, 2025, Hon. Justice Owoeye dismissed the application for lack of merit, stating that no evidence of fraud had been established and that the court lacked jurisdiction to revisit a matter already decided under a final forfeiture order.
According to a press statement by J. Okor Odey ANIPR, the Commissions spokesperson, the ruling represents a major milestone for Nigerias judicial precedent on in rem proceedings under Sections 47 and 48 of the ICPC Act 2000, and further strengthens the countrys asset recovery and anti corruption efforts.
