Emefiele Moves to Stop Sale of Seized 753-Unit Housing Estate

Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has filed an appeal at the Abuja Court of Appeal challenging the final forfeiture of a 753-unit housing estate located in the Lokogoma area of the Federal Capital Territory.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured the forfeiture order in 2024, initially linking the estate to another unnamed former government official. However, Emefiele, through his counsel A.M. Kotoye (SAN), argues that he holds a legal interest in the estate and was not given a fair opportunity to contest the seizure.

“I was unaware of the forfeiture,” Emefiele stated in his appeal. He alleged that the EFCC published the interim forfeiture notice in an obscure section of a newspaper, making it difficult for him to notice, especially as he was concurrently facing multiple criminal cases in both Abuja and Lagos.

He further accused the EFCC of concealing the proceedings from him, despite being in communication with him on other legal matters. The trial court dismissed his claims, ruling that due process had been followed and that the newspaper publication met legal requirements. The judge maintained that the notice “could not reasonably be described as hidden.”

Dissatisfied with the ruling, Emefiele filed a formal appeal on April 30, 2025. He is asking the Court of Appeal to:

Overturn the judgment delivered on April 28, 2025;

Nullify both the interim and final forfeiture orders dated November 1 and December 2, 2024, respectively;

Grant his pending application filed on January 28, 2025.

In his appeal, Emefiele contends that the trial court misinterpreted his submissions and failed to consider key evidence. He insists the forfeiture orders were based on “hearsay, suspicion, and no proper evidence,” and that he holds both legal and equitable interests in the property.

“The entire ruling is a miscarriage of justice,” Emefiele argued. “The failure of the trial judge to properly evaluate the affidavit and documents before him is perverse and has caused a miscarriage of justice.”

He further asserted that the forfeiture violates the 1999 Constitution and is therefore null and void.

In a parallel move, Emefiele’s legal team has petitioned the Minister of Housing, urging the federal government to suspend any plans to sell the estate until the appeal is resolved.

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

The federal government had recently disclosed plans to convert the estate into affordable housing for low- and middle-income Nigerians.