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Emefiele Appeals Forfeiture of 753-Unit Abuja Estate

Written by Agboola Oluwafemi on May 29, 2025

News Views: 195

Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, has formally approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja, seeking to overturn a contentious ruling that awarded the Federal Government absolute ownership of a sprawling real estate development comprising 753 residential units in the Lokogoma area of the Federal Capital Territory.

The property in question was previously subject to an interim forfeiture order secured by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which contended that the estate was linked to proceeds of corruption.

While the development was initially associated with an unnamed former public official, Emefiele has now asserted his proprietary interest in the estate and contends that he was unjustly excluded from the original forfeiture proceedings.

Through his counsel, A.M. Kotoye, Emefiele has challenged the procedural integrity of the lower court’s ruling. He maintains that he had no prior knowledge of the forfeiture process, alleging that the EFCC published the interim order in a manner so obscure as to render it virtually undetectable.

He further argued that his ongoing legal entanglements including three separate criminal trials concurrently proceeding in both Abuja and Lagos prevented him from becoming aware of the publication in a timely manner.

Emefiele has gone further to allege that the EFCC deliberately concealed the proceedings from him, notwithstanding their continued legal engagements with him on other fronts. Nevertheless, the trial court dismissed these claims, finding that the anti-graft agency had complied with all procedural requirements.

The court held that the publication of the notice met the threshold for legal sufficiency and could not reasonably be regarded as surreptitious.

Unconvinced by the trial court’s findings, Emefiele filed a formal appeal on April 30, 2025, seeking the appellate court’s intervention. His application seeks a reversal of the judgment rendered on April 28, 2025, as well as the nullification of both the interim and final forfeiture orders dated November 1 and December 2, 2024, respectively.

Additionally, he is requesting that the Court of Appeal grant his pending application submitted on January 28, 2025.

In his appeal, Emefiele contends that the trial court misapprehended the essence of his application and improperly dismissed it without due consideration of crucial evidentiary submissions. He argues that the forfeiture orders were predicated on conjecture, unsubstantiated allegations, and the absence of credible evidence.

Despite the court’s conclusion that he had failed to establish a legitimate ownership claim, Emefiele insists he holds both legal and equitable interests in the estate.

He further described the ruling as a gross miscarriage of justice, asserting that the trial judge’s failure to adequately assess the affidavit and supporting documents before the court was fundamentally flawed.

In his view, the orders issued are unconstitutional, having been granted in violation of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, and are thus legally void.

Simultaneously, his legal representatives have issued a formal communication to the Minister of Housing, urging the federal authorities to suspend any plans to dispose of the estate pending the resolution of the appeal.

The letter underscored their awareness of ongoing preparations to sell the property to the public and disclosed that an appeal notice and injunction had already been served on the EFCC.

The federal government had recently indicated its intention to auction the housing units as part of a broader initiative aimed at expanding affordable home ownership among low and middle income citizens.