The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of two large parcels of land allocated for the Goodluck Jonathan Legacy Model Housing Estate.
Justice Mohammed Umar made the ruling on a motion filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), represented by counsel Osuobeni Akponimisingha. The order was made after the defence counsel, Hassan Liman (SAN), raised no objection.
The judge directed the ICPC, on behalf of the Federal Government, to supervise the completion of 962 proposed housing units on the forfeited land. The court further instructed that the exercise be carried out in collaboration with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN)—the sole respondent in the case—to ensure the units are ultimately allocated to the intended beneficiaries.
The court ordered the final forfeiture of:
-
Plot 5, Cadastral Zone D12, Kaba District, Abuja, measuring approximately 122,015.80 square metres and valued at ₦1.94 billion; and
-
Plot 4, same zone, measuring about 157,198.30 square metres and valued at ₦3.34 billion.
Both properties were declared suspected proceeds of unlawful activity. Justice Umar also directed the ICPC to facilitate the handover of the forfeited properties to FMBN and to constitute a joint committee with the bank to oversee the implementation of the housing project.
The court recalled that it had previously granted interim forfeiture of the lands on July 9, following an ex parte application by the ICPC, pending the substantive hearing of the case (FHC/ABJ/CS/1124/2025).
According to court documents, the lands were allocated by the Federal Capital Territory Administration for the construction of 962 residential units under the National Housing Fund Scheme through FMBN. An affidavit by ICPC officer Iliya Marcus revealed that FMBN had engaged a private developer, Good Earth Power Nigeria Limited, to execute the project approved on July 30, 2012, with a $65 million loan facility from Ecobank. The estate was intended to benefit low-income earners and was expected to be completed within 18 months.
Investigations, however, indicated that FMBN allegedly disbursed the full $65 million to the developer, including a ₦3.78 billion drawdown in November 2012, without evidence of progress or compliance with regulatory requirements. The ICPC further alleged that no housing units were constructed, and the developer was reportedly attempting to sell off the land to unsuspecting members of the public, potentially frustrating recovery efforts.
Justice Umar, while granting the earlier interim forfeiture, had questioned why the full project sum was paid upfront without corresponding work on site, emphasizing the need to protect public assets and ensure the project serves its intended beneficiaries.
About the Author
