EFCC hands over 753 Abuja duplexes forfeited by Emefiele to housing ministry

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has handed over 753 duplexes linked to Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to the ministry of housing and urban development.

Ola Olukoyede, chairman of the EFCC, handed over the forfeited estate to Ahmed Dangiwa, the minister of housing and urban development, on Tuesday.

The uncompleted estate is located in the Lokogoma district of the federal capital territory (FCT).

A statement by Dangiwa said President Bola Tinubu had directed that the recovered estate be completed and made available to the Nigerian public through a “transparent and accountable” process.

Dangiwa said the ministry will ensure that all pending structures are completed to make the estate functional and suitable for habitation.

“As a next step, we will conduct a comprehensive integrity and structural assessment of all buildings and associated infrastructure to ensure safety and suitability for habitation,” the statement reads.

“We will also complete all outstanding infrastructure, including roads, drainage systems, and other essential amenities, to make the estate fully functional.

Additionally, a standardized housing design framework will be developed to ensure architectural uniformity and provide guidance to prospective allottees.

“Finally, the housing units will be offered for sale through a transparent and competitive process, which will be widely advertised and managed via the Renewed Hope Portal.”

BACKGROUND

In December 2024, the anti-graft agency secured the final forfeiture of the estate following a ruling by Jude Onwegbuzie, a judge at the FCT high court.

The EFCC had said that the forfeiture of the estate is the “largest single asset recovery” of the agency since it was set up in 2003.

The agency did not mention the name of the individual who forfeited the property but mentioned that it belonged to a “former top brass of the government”.

However, in April 2025, Emefiele approached the FCT high court with an application seeking to reclaim the estate forfeited by the federal government.

The former CBN governor had sought an extension of time to apply to set aside the interim and final forfeiture orders made by the court in December 2024.

Emefiele had contended that the entire forfeiture process was conducted without his knowledge and alleged that the EFCC published the interim forfeiture notice in an “obscure” section of a newspaper, making it difficult for him to respond timely.

Onwegbuzie dismissed the application filed by Emefiele and held that the section 17(2) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 stipulates the notice requirements for forfeiture proceedings.

He rejected Emefiele’s claim that the publication was obscure, adding that the half-page notice in a national newspaper was sufficient and could not reasonably be described as “hidden”.