The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has
handed over 753 duplexes linked to Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to the ministry of housing and urban
development.
Ola Olukoyede, chairman of the EFCC, handed over the
forfeited estate to Ahmed Dangiwa, the minister of housing and urban
development, on Tuesday.
The uncompleted estate is located in the Lokogoma district
of the federal capital territory (FCT).
A statement by Dangiwa said President Bola Tinubu had directed
that the recovered estate be completed and made available to the Nigerian
public through a “transparent and accountable” process.
Dangiwa said the ministry will ensure that all pending
structures are completed to make the estate functional and suitable for
habitation.
“As a next step, we will conduct a comprehensive integrity
and structural assessment of all buildings and associated infrastructure to
ensure safety and suitability for habitation,” the statement reads.
“We will also complete all outstanding infrastructure,
including roads, drainage systems, and other essential amenities, to make the
estate fully functional.
“Additionally, a standardized housing design framework will
be developed to ensure architectural uniformity and provide guidance to
prospective allottees.
“Finally, the housing units will be offered for sale through
a transparent and competitive process, which will be widely advertised and
managed via the Renewed Hope Portal.”
BACKGROUND
In December 2024, the anti-graft agency secured the final
forfeiture of the estate following a ruling by Jude Onwegbuzie, a judge at the
FCT high court.
The EFCC had said that the forfeiture of the estate is the
“largest single asset recovery” of the agency since it was set up in 2003.
The agency did not mention the name of the individual who
forfeited the property but mentioned that it belonged to a “former top brass of
the government”.
However, in April 2025, Emefiele approached the FCT high
court with an application seeking to reclaim the estate forfeited by the
federal government.
The former CBN governor had sought an extension of time to
apply to set aside the interim and final forfeiture orders made by the court in
December 2024.
Emefiele had contended that the entire forfeiture process
was conducted without his knowledge and alleged that the EFCC published the
interim forfeiture notice in an “obscure” section of a newspaper, making it
difficult for him to respond timely.
Onwegbuzie dismissed the application filed by Emefiele and
held that the section 17(2) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related
Offences Act 2006 stipulates the notice requirements for forfeiture
proceedings.
He rejected Emefiele’s claim that the publication was
obscure, adding that the half-page notice in a national newspaper was
sufficient and could not reasonably be described as “hidden”.
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