Olayiwola Matthew
Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has asked the court of appeal to overturn the interim and final forfeiture of the 753 duplexes in Abuja.
In an appeal dated April 30, 2025, the former CBN governor said the forfeiture orders were granted without proper evidence.
BACKGROUND
In December 2024, the anti-graft agency secured the final forfeiture of the estate following a ruling by Jude Onwegbuzie, a judge at the FCT high court.
The EFCC said the forfeiture of the estate was its “largest single asset recovery” since it was set up in 2003.
The agency did not disclose the name of the individual who forfeited the property but said that it belonged to a “former top brass of the government”.
Although the estate was initially linked to a company that later denied ownership, Emefiele, through his lawyer, A.M. Kotoye, filed a motion as an interested party in the suit.
However, in April, Emefiele approached the federal capital territory (FCT) high court with an application to reclaim the forfeited estate.
The former CBN governor had sought an extension of time to apply to set aside the interim and final forfeiture orders made in December 2024.
Emefiele contended that the entire process was conducted without his knowledge and alleged that the EFCC published the interim forfeiture notice in an “obscure” section of a newspaper, making it difficult for him to respond timely.
Onwegbuzie dismissed the application filed by Emefiele and held that section 17(2) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offences Act 2006 stipulates the notice requirements for forfeiture proceedings.
The judge rejected Emefiele’s claim that the publication was obscure, adding that the half-page notice in a national newspaper was sufficient and could not reasonably be described as “hidden”.
Recently, the anti-graft agency handed over the forfeited duplexes to the federal ministry of housing and urban development.
‘MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE’
However, according to Punch, the former CBN governor told the appellate court that the trial judge failed to properly consider the affidavit and documents before him.
“The entire ruling is a miscarriage of justice,” he said.
“The failure of the trial judge to properly evaluate the affidavit and documents before him is perverse and has caused a miscarriage of justice.
“The orders were made in breach of the 1999 Constitution and are therefore null and void.”
Emefiele said he possessed both legal and equitable interests in the estate, despite the court’s assertion that he failed to provide proof of ownership.