ABUJA: Former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, is the owner of the large estate in Abuja, consisting of 753 duplexes, which has been forfeited to the Nigerian government through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), following a court ruling on Monday.
Human rights activist and #RevolutionNow Movement convener, Omoyele Sowore, confirmed the development in a post on his Twitter account.
Emefiele is currently facing trial on multiple corruption charges, including those related to the controversial naira redesign, before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, Abuja. Justice Maryann Anenih has adjourned the case until December 4, 2024, and January 21, 2025, for further proceedings.
Sowore had previously criticized the EFCC for withholding the name of the former government official who owned the estate. In a post on Monday, Sowore alleged that the EFCC, which had failed to identify the owner of the estate, was now “afraid of big thieves” and acting as their public relations officer.
He further claimed that the EFCC had been quick to name smaller criminals, such as “yahoo boys,” while keeping the identity of the estate’s owner a secret.
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Sowore, a former presidential candidate for the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 elections, later confirmed through an update that the 753 duplexes were owned by Godwin Emefiele, the former CBN governor under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie had issued the final forfeiture order on Monday for an estate located in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The estate, spanning 150,500 square meters, contains 753 duplexes and other apartments. According to the EFCC, this is the largest asset recovery since the Commission’s inception in 2003.
The estate, located on Plot 109 Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja, was seized as part of the EFCC’s effort to prevent corrupt individuals from enjoying the illicit proceeds of their actions. The EFCC cited Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offences Act No. 14, 2006, and Section 44 (2) B of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria to support its case.
Justice Onwuegbuzie ruled that the respondent had failed to provide a valid reason why the property, which was reasonably suspected to have been acquired through illegal means, should not be forfeited to the federal government. Therefore, the property was finally confiscated in favor of the government.
