Court Orders N150m Linked to Nicholas Mutu Fortiefied

Court Orders N150m Linked to Nicholas Mutu Forfeited

The Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, has ordered the final forfeiture of N150 million linked to serving member of the House of Representatives, Nicholas Mutu, to the Federal Government.

Justice J.O. Abdulmalik gave the ruling on Thursday, June 2, 2026, after considering an application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The commission, through its legal team led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ekele Iheanacho, asked the court to permanently forfeit the money under the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Advance Fee Fraud and Related Offences Act, 2006.

Before the final decision, the court had granted an interim forfeiture order and directed that it be published in a national newspaper to allow anyone with an interest in the money to challenge the action.

After the publication, no convincing reason was presented to stop the permanent forfeiture of the funds.In reaching its decision, the court reviewed the application, objections raised by lawyers representing Mutu and his company, Airworld Technologies Ltd, along with several affidavits filed by both sides.

Justice Abdulmalik held that the EFCC had provided enough grounds to justify the final forfeiture of the N150 million to the Federal Government.

According to the EFCC’s investigation, Mutu allegedly received kickbacks amounting to N400.16 million from Starline Consultancy Services, a consultant engaged by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), while serving as chairman of the House of Representatives committee responsible for overseeing the commission.

Investigators said the money was paid through the Heritage Bank accounts of Airworld Technologies Ltd and Oyien Homes Ltd, companies linked to the lawmaker.

The commission also told the court that Mutu holds the largest shareholding in both companies, while his wife and other close family members serve as shareholders and directors.

The investigation showed that Starline Consultancy Services approached the House committee to help recover debts owed to the NDDC by oil and gas companies operating in the Niger Delta.

The committee later invited the companies for meetings, where the consultant was able to reconcile outstanding payments.

Following the committee’s intervention, demand notices were issued, leading to the recovery of more than N100 billion for the NDDC.

While Starline Consultancy Services received payment for its work, the EFCC said part of the money was later transferred to companies linked to Mutu as kickbacks.

The anti-graft agency further stated that after its investigation began, Mutu arranged for the consultant to issue a subcontract award to Airworld Technologies Ltd in an attempt to justify the payments already made.

However, investigators said the consultant later admitted that the subcontract existed only on paper and that no actual work was carried out by the company.During the investigation, Mutu refunded N150 million to the EFCC but later argued that he did not return the money willingly.

He also maintained that the payments made to his companies came from lawful business dealings, relying on the subcontract documents presented during the investigation.

The EFCC, however, maintained that the documents were created after the fact to conceal the true source of the funds.The case is connected to an earlier money laundering trial in which Mutu was discharged and acquitted by Justice F.O.G. Ogunbanjo.

The EFCC has already appealed that judgment, arguing that the evidence supports its case. After the notice of appeal was served, lawyers who represented Mutu and Airworld Technologies Ltd during the criminal proceedings informed the court that they had not been instructed to accept the appeal documents on behalf of their clients.

In the final ruling, Justice Abdulmalik held that the N150 million returned by Mutu was the proceeds of unlawful activities and ordered that the money be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.