Nigeria, Jan. 7 -- The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered an interim forfeiture of N30.7 million recovered from a bureau de change (BDC) operator with links to an official of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

Judge Emeka Nwite gave the order in a ruling on an ex parte motion brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

EFCC said it discovered the money during a review of a bureau de change operator's financial records, obtained primarily for the purposes of investigating the activities of some "high profile" officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd.

But when confronted with the discovery, the BDC operator, Adamu Yakubu, claimed the money belonged to an official of the FIRS, Ibrahi...