A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo has dismissed an application by former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, seeking to reclaim an estate of 753 duplexes and apartments in Abuja.
The estate, located at Plot 109, Cadastral Zone CO9 in the Lokogoma District, spans over 150,000 square metres. It had been forfeited to the Federal Government after being recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from an unnamed ex-government official.
Emefiele, represented by senior advocate A.M. Kotoye, filed a motion as an interested party, asking the court for more time to challenge both interim and final forfeiture orders issued on December 2 and 24, 2024. He argued that the EFCC published the forfeiture notice in an obscure section of a newspaper, and due to his multiple ongoing criminal trials in Abuja and Lagos at the time, he was unable to respond promptly.
He also accused the EFCC of concealing the forfeiture process from him, despite their ongoing communication regarding other charges he faces.
However, in a ruling on Monday, Justice Onwuegbuzie said Emefiele had enough opportunity—more than 14 days—to contest the forfeiture but failed to do so. The judge dismissed the claim that the publication was obscure, noting that a half-page notice in a national newspaper was sufficiently public.
Justice Onwuegbuzie affirmed that only parties with a valid legal interest in forfeited property are entitled to intervene, and Emefiele’s application did not meet that threshold. He ruled that the forfeiture process followed proper legal procedure under Section 17(2) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.
As a result, Emefiele’s motion was struck out, and the property remains under government ownership.
