The 2023 Abia State Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Ikechi Emenike, is fighting very hard through the courts to get justice for alleged maltreatment meted out to him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

He believes the judiciary will right the wrongs done to him by the anti-graft agency.

The EFCC in a letter dated October 14, 2016, AS/140/EFCC/ABJ/AFRS/TA/VOL.1/16 titled: ‘Management of Forfeited Property By The EFCC’ signed by Acting Head, Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section, Umma Sulaiman, directed to occupant of No. 6 Aso Drive, Maitama, Abuja, among others stated that “The above property which you currently occupy was Forfeited in an interim Forfeiture order to the Federal Government through the Commission in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/228/2016 dated 13th April, 2016.”

The anti-graft agency further said,  “Pursuant to the order, the Commission has appointed the firm of Festus Azikagbon & Associates as the new manager of the property and you are requested to regularize your occupation of the property with the new manager based on terms presented to you.”

Emenike, said he complied with all the EFCC’s directives by regularising and making payments to Festus Azikagbon from 2016 to 2022. He provided receipts for all payments.

But in December of 2022, the EFCC had listed No. 6 Aso Drive among properties to be auctioned across the country. The anti-graft agency in a statement by its spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, had said the auction was open to members of the public with the exception of people facing prosecution by the commission.

According to Emenike, “When the house was advertised for sale, by the EFCC, my same residence was used as a poster asset for advertisement.”

“Managers of the property, Festus Azikagbon & Associates, in a letter dated June 25, 2024, FA/ABJ)NGT/EFCC/021 wrote to Emenike asking him to make payment for the periods of January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023, and January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024.

Emenike said he met with former EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, “on the need to grant me the Right of First Refusal. He agreed but promised that they will get back to me after reevaluating the property.”

“While I was waiting for the Right of First Refusal, EFCC suddenly decided against their own law to appropriate the property to their chairman.

“I objected and went to court. After several months of legal exchange before an FCT High Court, Hon. Justice A.S. Musa in a subsisting unappealed judgement gave the Right of First Refusal and told the EFCC that they have no legal right to keep any Forfeited property to themselves for whatever use. In the same judgement, he told them that the only option the law gave them was to sell the property and remit the proceeds to the Federal Government’s Single Treasury Account. He ruled that as a sitting tenant, EFCC should give me the Right of First Refusal.

“Rather, in an unethical move, the EFCC went to Federal High Court and on an ex perte application, secured an eviction order with which they stormed No.6 Aso Drive and chased away all my domestic staff and took possession of the house.

Emenike, who says he believes in rule of law, said “We approached the same court who gave ex perte order. He reversed his earlier order and lambasted the EFCC for fraudulently securing the order and order them to vacate my residence, and restore me to the house.”

The judge in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1123/2021, Justice M. S. Liman, between Emenike and EFCC ordered as follows:

“That an order of this honourable court is hereby setting aside, vacating and/or discharging the order granted ex perte made by this honourable court on the 27th day of March 2025 by which the appellant was evicted from No. 6 Aso Drive Abuja for being an abuse of court process and one obtained by fraud of misrepresentation and concealment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission; and for want of jurisdiction.

“That an order of this honourable court is hereby made setting aside, vacating and/or discharging the order granted ex perte made by this honourable court on the 27th day of March 2025 by which the appellant was evicted from No.6 Aso Drive Abuja for want of jurisdiction.

“That a mandatory order of injunction is hereby made restoring the applicant to No 6 Aso Drive Abuja from where he was ejected upon the order granted ex perte made by this honourable court on the 27th day March 2025 fraudulently obtained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

“That an order of this honourable court is hereby made mandating the Chief Bailiff/Bailiffs of this honourable court to reopen/unlock No.6 Aso Drive Abuja from where the applicant and his family were driven away from and locked up by the Bailiffs of this court on 29th March 2025 and upon reopening/unlocking the premises restore the applicant back therein and clean all the red marks painted on the premises by the EFCC.

“That an order of mandatory injunction is hereby made restraining the EFCC by themselves, their servants, agents however described from trespassing into or coming near No.6 Aso Drive Abuja occupied by the applicant on account of the judgement of Hon. Justice M.O. Olajuwon made the 24th day October 2022 in view of the judgement of Hon. A.H. Musa of the High Court of the FCT in suit No. FCT/HC)CV)6890/2023 between High Chief Ikechi Emenike V Economic and Financial Crimes Commission made on the 18th dat of April 2024 and the pending appeal between the applicant and EFCC in appeal No. CA/ABJ)CV/226/2025.”

According to Emenike, the court bailiffs sent to go and enforce its order, “Rather than obey and vacate the premises, the EFCC told the bailiffs bluntly that they would not obey any court order and even threatened to shoot the court officials.

“The court tried again with the support of policemen from FCT Police Command, but met another resistance from the EFCC  operatives again with the encouragement of Barr. Francis Useni.

“The EFCC filed a motion before the same court for a Stay of Execution of the court order. The court not only rejected and dismissed the EFCC motion, the court also told them to go and purge themselves of their disobedience of the order. The court stated that EFCC behaviour is unconscionable.

The Bailiff of the Federal High Court Headquarters, Abuja , Obi Robert, in report of execution carried out on June 20, 2025, stated among others “That we got to the said No. 6 Aso Drive Drive together with the approved police enforcement team led by ASP Abdulrahman, the armed men of EFCC refused us to open and handover the the place to the occupant.”

He added, “That Head of the armed EFCC operatives on arrival, called their CSO, who linked with Barr. Francis Usani and Barr. Francis Usani told me on phone to stop the execution of the court order.”

Emenike, wondered why EFCC is interested in denying him access to No. 6 Aso Drive Abuja.

“The question is why is the EFCC so fixated with particular property, even trampling on the rights of a bonafide citizen? There are over a million properties the EFCC, if they do desire, can legally acquire for their chairman.

“This is the height of impunity and lawlessness,” Emenike concluded.