A High Court in Abuja has dismissed a motion filed by former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, seeking to reclaim an expansive estate comprising 753 duplexes and apartments in the Lokogoma District of Abuja.
The property, located at Plot 109, Cadastral Zone CO9, measures over 150,000 square metres and had been previously forfeited to the Nigerian government following interim and final forfeiture orders obtained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in December 2024.
Though the estate was originally recovered from an undisclosed former senior government official, Emefiele, represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria A.M. Kotoye, filed the motion as an interested party. He sought an extension of time to challenge the forfeiture orders, claiming the proceedings occurred without his knowledge.
Emefiele argued that the EFCC had deliberately published the forfeiture notice in a hard-to-find section of Punch newspaper, thereby preventing him from responding on time. He also cited his involvement in ongoing criminal trials in Abuja and Lagos during the period, which he claimed limited his ability to follow the publication.
He further accused the EFCC of deliberately concealing the forfeiture case despite their continued engagement with him over other legal matters.
However, Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Apo dismissed the application, ruling that Emefiele failed to prove any justifiable reason for missing the 14-day window to contest the forfeiture.
Citing Section 17(2) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, the judge held that the EFCC’s half-page publication in a national daily met the legal requirement for public notice. He added that only parties with a legally recognizable interest in a property are permitted to intervene in forfeiture proceedings.
Justice Onwuegbuzie concluded that Emefiele had ample time to respond but failed to do so, and thus ruled in favour of the EFCC by dismissing the motion in its entirety.
