Emefiele Challenges Forfeiture Of Abuja Estate, Says EFCC Hid Case From Him

Former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, has filed an appeal challenging a court ruling that handed the federal government full ownership of a 753-unit housing estate in Lokogoma, Abuja.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had earlier secured a court order for the forfeiture of the estate, initially linked to an unnamed ex-government official. However, Emefiele, through his lawyer A.M. Kotoye, argued that he holds an interest in the property and was wrongfully excluded from the proceedings.

“I was unaware of the forfeiture,” Emefiele stated, insisting that the EFCC published the interim forfeiture notice in an obscure part of a newspaper, making it difficult for him to detect. He also cited his involvement in three separate criminal trials in Abuja and Lagos as a reason for missing the notice.

Emefiele further accused the EFCC of intentionally hiding the case from him, despite their ongoing legal interactions on other charges.

The trial court, however, ruled that the EFCC had followed due process and that the newspaper publication was adequate. The judge stated that the notice “could not reasonably be described as hidden.”

Dissatisfied with the verdict, Emefiele approached the Court of Appeal on April 30, 2025. He is asking the appellate court to overturn the judgment delivered on April 28, 2025; nullify the interim and final forfeiture orders made on November 1 and December 2, 2024; and uphold his application filed earlier on January 28, 2025.

He maintained that the trial court failed to properly evaluate the evidence before it, arguing that the forfeiture orders were based on “hearsay, suspicion, and no proper evidence.” Emefiele also insisted that he had both legal and equitable interests in the estate, contrary to the court’s claim that he presented no proof of ownership.

Calling the ruling a “miscarriage of justice,” he said, “The failure of the trial judge to properly evaluate the affidavit and documents before him is perverse and has caused a miscarriage of justice. The orders were made in breach of the 1999 Constitution and are therefore null and void.”

In a related move, Emefiele’s legal team has written to the Minister of Housing, urging the government to suspend all plans to sell the estate until the appeal is resolved.

“We are aware that the properties may soon be sold to the public. We have already served the EFCC with a notice of appeal and an injunction,” the letter read.

The federal government had recently announced plans to auction the estate to low- and middle-income earners.