Emefiele Loses Battle For Luxury Abuja Estate As Court Slams Door Shut

In a major legal blow, former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, on Monday failed in his bid to reclaim a sprawling Abuja estate comprising 753 luxury duplexes and apartments, as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Apo, dismissed his application.

Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie delivered the ruling, dashing Emefiele’s hopes of reversing the forfeiture of the prime estate, located at Plot 109, Cadastral Zone CO9, Lokogoma District — a massive property spanning over 150,000 square metres. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had previously secured both interim and final forfeiture orders in favour of the Federal Government.

Despite not being originally named in the forfeiture action, Emefiele, through his counsel A.M. Kotoye, SAN, filed a motion as an interested party, seeking to upend the orders issued on December 2 and December 24, 2024. He claimed that the EFCC conducted the proceedings behind his back, alleging that the agency published notice of the forfeiture in an “obscure” section of The Punch newspaper — a move he said made it nearly impossible for him to react, especially while grappling with multiple criminal trials in Abuja and Lagos.

Emefiele further accused the EFCC of deliberately concealing the process despite their ongoing dealings with him in other pending charges.

However, Justice Onwuegbuzie rejected all of Emefiele’s arguments. He ruled that publication in a national daily like Punch could not be described as obscure and held that the law required only a general public notice — which had been properly done. The judge also emphasized that Emefiele had over two weeks to challenge the forfeiture but failed to seize the opportunity.

Highlighting that only parties with clearly proven interests could intervene in forfeiture proceedings, the court found that Emefiele’s application lacked merit and upheld the EFCC’s position.

“The applicant slept on his rights,” Justice Onwuegbuzie declared, firmly dismissing the motion and cementing the Federal Government’s ownership of the controversial estate.

With this ruling, the massive property — once eyed by Abuja’s political elite — firmly remains under federal control, adding yet another legal defeat to Emefiele’s growing list of troubles.