Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the permanent forfeiture of a multi-billion-naira expanse of lands approved for the Goodluck Jonathan Legacy Model Housing Estate to the Federal Government.
Justice Umar granted the motion on notice moved by Osuobeni Akponimisingha, counsel for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which was not opposed by the defence lawyer, Hassan Liman, SAN.
The court ordered the ICPC, on behalf of the Federal Government, to supervise the construction of the lands to completion of the 962 housing units as earlier proposed.
The judge held that the supervision should be done in collaboration with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), the sole respondent in the case, and ensure the utilisation of the housing units by end users.
Justice Umar said, “an order is hereby made for the final forfeiture of Plot No. 5 in Cadastral Zone D12, Kaba District, Abuja measuring approximately 122015.80m2 and valued at N1,944,375,000.00 (One Billion, Nine Hundred Forty-Four Million, Three Hundred and Seventy-Five Thousand Naira.
“An order is hereby made for the final forfeiture of Plot No. 4 in Cadastral Zone D12, Kaba District, Abuja, measuring approximately 157198.30m2 and valued at N3,340,500,000.00 (Three Billion, Three Hundred Forty Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira), suspected of being proceeds of unlawful activity.
“An order is hereby made directing the applicant, through the ICPC, to facilitate the hand-over of the forfeited properties to the respondent i.e. Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, being the victim of the alleged unlawful activity.”
Justice Umar, in the ruling delivered on Dec. 11 but the enrolled order further directed the ICPC and FMBN to set up a committee which membership is to be drawn from both agencies to implement the completion of the project.
Justice Umar had, on July 9, granted the anti-corruption commission’s prayer to temporarily take over the lands, after Akponimisingha moved a motion ex- parte to the effect.
Justice Umar held that the interim forfeiture of the multi billion naira assets approved by the FMBN shall be pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
The ICPC had, in the motion ex-parte marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1124/2025, listed FMBN as sole respondent.
The lands were suspected of being proceeds of an unlawful activity.
It equally sought an order directing the commission to take over and secure the said immovable property from being converted to personal use or sold off to unsuspecting members of public.
The ICPC further sought an order directing the commission to publish a notice in any national newspaper for interested person(s) to show cause why the assets should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
Giving 14 grounds why the application should be granted, the agency said the alleged assets were allocated by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) freely for the construction of 962 residential housing units through the FMBN.
In the affidavit deposed to by an ICPC’s officer, Iliya Marcus, he averred that the commission received an intelligence report that the FMBN engaged a private developer to construct 962 of residential housing units under National Housing Fund Scheme.
According to him, the commission in its usual characteristics of proactiveness launched a discreet preliminary investigation activities into the said intelligence report and discovered the following:
