Court seizes land linked to Goodluck Jonathan estate

File Photo: A Federal High Court in Abuja.

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The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of two expansive parcels of land earmarked for the Goodluck Jonathan Legacy Model Housing Estate.

Justice Mohammed Umar made the order while ruling on a motion on notice filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, which was moved by its counsel, Osuobeni Akponimisingha.

Justice Umar made the order as the defence counsel,  Hassan Liman (SAN), raised no objection.

In his ruling, Justice Umar directed the ICPC, on behalf of the Federal Government, to supervise the completion of the proposed 962 housing units on the forfeited land.

He ordered that the exercise be carried out in collaboration with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, the sole respondent in the suit, to ensure that the housing units are ultimately allocated to intended end users.

The judge ordered the final forfeiture of Plot No. 5, Cadastral Zone D12, Kaba District, Abuja, measuring approximately 122,015.80 square metres and valued at N1.94bn, as well as Plot No. 4 in the same zone, measuring about 157,198.30 square metres and valued at N3.34bn.

The properties were declared suspected proceeds of unlawful activity.

Justice Umar further directed the ICPC to facilitate the handover of the forfeited properties to the FMBN, which he identified as the victim of the alleged unlawful activity.

He also ordered the ICPC and FMBN to constitute a joint committee to oversee the completion and implementation of the housing project.

The court recalled that on July 9, it had granted an interim forfeiture of the lands following an ex parte application by the ICPC, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1124/2025.

In documents before the court, the ICPC stated that the lands were freely allocated by the Federal Capital Territory Administration for the construction of 962 residential housing units under the National Housing Fund Scheme through the FMBN.

An affidavit deposed to by an ICPC officer, Iliya Marcus, revealed that the commission acted on intelligence reports indicating that the FMBN had engaged a private developer, Good Earth Power Nigeria Limited, to execute the project.

The project, approved on July 30, 2012, was to be known as the “Goodluck Jonathan Legacy Model Housing Estate.”

According to the affidavit, FMBN entered into a framework agreement with the developer and secured a $65m loan facility from Ecobank for the project, which was intended to benefit low-income earners and was expected to be completed within 18 months.

However, investigations showed that FMBN allegedly paid the full $65m project sum to the developer, including a N3.78bn drawdown made in November 2012, without evidence of progress on site or compliance with regulatory requirements.

The ICPC further alleged that no single housing unit was constructed despite full disbursement of funds.

The commission also told the court that the developer was allegedly making moves to sell off the land to unsuspecting members of the public, a development it said could frustrate recovery efforts.

Justice Umar, while granting the interim forfeiture earlier, questioned why the entire project sum was paid upfront without corresponding work on the ground, stressing the need to protect public assets and ensure that the project ultimately serves its intended beneficiaries.

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