Court orders final forfeiture of Goodluck Jonathan legacy housing estate to FG
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of vast parcels of land initially approved for the Goodluck Jonathan Legacy Model Housing Estate to the Federal Government, following allegations of unlawful activity surrounding the project.
Justice Mohammed Umar gave the order after granting a motion filed by counsel to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Osuobeni Akponimisingha. The application was not opposed by the respondent’s lawyer, Hassan Liman, SAN.
The judge directed the ICPC, acting on behalf of the Federal Government, to supervise the completion of the housing project, which was originally designed to deliver 962 residential units. The supervision is to be carried out in collaboration with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), the sole respondent in the suit, with a mandate to ensure that the houses are eventually allocated to intended beneficiaries.
Justice Umar ordered the permanent forfeiture of Plot No. 5 in Cadastral Zone D12, Kaba District, Abuja, measuring about 122,015.80 square metres and valued at ₦1.94 billion, as well as Plot No. 4 in the same district, measuring approximately 157,198.30 square metres and valued at ₦3.34 billion. The court held that the properties were suspected proceeds of unlawful activity.
He further directed the ICPC to facilitate the handover of the forfeited properties to the FMBN and ordered both agencies to constitute a joint committee to oversee the completion of the project.
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The ruling, delivered on December 11 and sighted on Tuesday by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), followed an earlier interim forfeiture granted on July 9, after the ICPC approached the court through an ex parte application. The interim order was aimed at securing the assets pending the determination of the substantive suit.
According to the ICPC, the lands were freely allocated by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for the construction of 962 housing units under the National Housing Fund Scheme. Investigations revealed that the FMBN engaged Good Earth Power Nigeria Limited as the project developer and obtained a $65 million loan facility from Ecobank for the project.
An ICPC officer, Iliya Marcus, told the court in an affidavit that despite the disbursement of the full project sum—amounting to about ₦3.78 billion at the time—no house was built on the site. He added that the developer allegedly received the funds without meeting required conditions, including registration with the Real Estate Developers Association.
The commission also alleged that the developer was making moves to sell the land to unsuspecting members of the public, raising fears that the assets could be lost permanently if not secured by the court.
Justice Umar, in granting the final forfeiture, questioned why the entire project sum was paid upfront without any visible progress and stressed the need to protect public assets for the benefit of Nigerians.
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