Former Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele has asked the Court of Appeal in Abuja to cancel a court order that gave the Federal Government ownership of 753 duplexes in his estate in Lokogoma, Abuja.
A lower court, the Federal Capital Territory High Court, had on December 24, 2024, ordered the permanent forfeiture of the properties after a request by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The estate sits on a large plot of land measuring over 150,000 square metres.
But in a new appeal filed on April 30, 2025, Emefiele’s lawyer, A.M. Kotoye (SAN), said the EFCC misled the court by hiding important facts and not properly informing the public about the earlier order. Emefiele said this denied him a fair chance to defend himself.
“We are asking the Court of Appeal to cancel the forfeiture order and return the property to Mr. Emefiele,” Kotoye stated in the appeal.
Emefiele argued that the judge made errors in four major areas. First, he said the judge misunderstood the purpose of his application, which was not just to explain why the property should not be forfeited, but to completely cancel the order based on mistakes and lack of proper authority.
Second, he said the court ignored important documents and affidavits that were submitted to support his case.
He called this a “miscarriage of justice.”
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Third, Emefiele claimed that both the temporary and final forfeiture orders were based on weak evidence, including hearsay and speculation. He said there was no proof that the properties were acquired illegally, which is required under the Nigerian Constitution and the Advance Fee Fraud Act.
Fourth, he said the judge wrongly concluded that he had no legal interest in the property. Emefiele insisted that he had clearly shown he had both personal and legal claims to the estate.
Meanwhile, Emefiele’s legal team has written to the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, asking the ministry not to take further action on the estate. The letter, dated May 26, 2025, warned that selling or auctioning the houses could cause problems since the appeal is still pending in court.
“We are aware that the properties have been handed over to the Ministry of Works and Housing and may soon be auctioned to the public. We request that further actions on the property be stayed pending the hearing of the appeal,” the letter read.
The Federal Government has said it plans to sell the estate to low- and middle-income Nigerians. However, Emefiele’s team insists that the sale should wait until the appeal is heard and decided.