Federal High Court Orders Permanent Forfeiture of Goodluck Jonathan Estate Lands to FG

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of a multibillion-naira expanse of land approved for the Goodluck Jonathan Legacy Model Housing Estate to the Federal Government.

Justice Mohammed Umar made the order after granting a motion on notice filed by counsel to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Osuobeni Akponimisingha. The application was not opposed by defence counsel, Hassan Liman, SAN.

The court also directed the ICPC, acting on behalf of the Federal Government, to supervise the completion of the project, which comprises 962 proposed housing units. Justice Umar ordered that the supervision be carried out in collaboration with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, FMBN, the sole respondent in the case, and that the completed housing units be allocated to end users.

In his ruling, Justice Umar ordered the final forfeiture of Plot No. 5 in Cadastral Zone D12, Kaba District, Abuja, measuring about 122,015.80 square metres and valued at ₦1.94 billion. He also ordered the forfeiture of Plot No. 4 in the same cadastral zone, measuring approximately 157,198.30 square metres and valued at ₦3.34 billion. The court held that the properties were suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity.

The judge further directed the ICPC to facilitate the handover of the forfeited properties to the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, which he identified as the victim of the alleged unlawful activity. He also ordered the ICPC and FMBN to constitute a joint committee, drawn from both agencies, to oversee and implement the completion of the housing project.

The ruling was delivered on December 11, while the enrolled order was sighted on Tuesday. Earlier, on July 9, Justice Umar had granted an interim forfeiture of the lands following an ex parte application by the ICPC, pending the determination of the substantive suit.

The ex parte motion, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1124/2025, listed FMBN as the sole respondent. The ICPC had argued that the lands were suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity and sought an order to secure them from being converted to personal use or sold to unsuspecting members of the public. The commission also requested permission to publish a notice in a national newspaper inviting interested parties to show cause why the assets should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

In an affidavit deposed to by an ICPC officer, Iliya Marcus, the commission said it received intelligence that FMBN engaged a private developer, Good Earth Power Nigeria Limited, to construct 962 residential housing units under the National Housing Fund Scheme. According to him, investigations revealed that FMBN obtained approval on July 30, 2012, to commence construction of the Goodluck Jonathan Legacy Model Housing Estate and subsequently entered into a framework agreement with the developer.

Marcus stated that FMBN secured a $65 million loan facility from Ecobank Limited for the project and paid Good Earth Power Nigeria Limited ₦3.785 billion as drawdown in November 2012. He added that investigations showed the full $65 million was eventually paid to the developer without any house being constructed on the site.

The ICPC alleged that the developer had begun moves to sell off the land to members of the public, warning that recovery would become difficult if this occurred. The commission maintained that the forfeiture was necessary to protect public interest and safeguard the assets for the benefit of Nigerians.

In granting the forfeiture, Justice Umar queried why the entire project sum was paid upfront without corresponding progress and held that the order was necessary to preserve the property and ensure completion of the housing estate.