The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has finally revealed that the 753-duplex estate in Abuja is tied to Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and his cronies, including one Ifeanyi Omeke.
This information was contained in court documents filed by the anti-graft agency and obtained by Punch on Tuesday.
The estate, situated in the Lokogoma District, covers over 150,000 square meters and was allegedly acquired using funds obtained through foreign exchange kickbacks and other illegal activities during Emefiele’s tenure.
Court documents filed by the EFCC detailed how Emefiele used three companies to pay ₦2.2 billion for the property, originally intended for a mass housing project.
Investigators traced the funds to proceeds of fraud and abuse of office, claiming the money came from kickbacks he received from contractors and businesses desperate for foreign exchange allocations.
The EFCC also accused Omeke of facilitating the purchase and securing title documents for several properties linked to Emefiele.
The commission discovered the property during an investigation that included a search of Omeke’s office, where documents related to the estate were found.
Using survey data from the Abuja Geographical Information Systems, the EFCC identified and inspected the property in September 2024.
The estate has reportedly been abandoned since Emefiele’s arrest in 2023, with only a guard left to maintain it.
On December 2, 2024, the FCT High Court in Apo ordered the permanent forfeiture of the estate to the Federal Government, following an earlier interim forfeiture order issued in November.
According to the EFCC, no individual or entity came forward to contest the forfeiture, which was advertised in a national newspaper.
The EFCC described the seizure as its largest single asset recovery since its establishment.
The agency maintained that the funds used to acquire the estate were not legitimate earnings but proceeds from corruption, kickbacks, and abuse of office.
Emefiele is currently facing multiple criminal cases in various courts across the country, including allegations of fraud involving billions of naira and dollars.
The EFCC stated that its investigations into the former CBN governor and his associates are ongoing, and more properties suspected to have been acquired through illicit funds may be uncovered.
