The embattled former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has submitted a petition to the Court of Appeal in Abuja, requesting the reversal of a judgment that grants the government complete control over a significant estate in Abuja, which consists of 753 housing units.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had previously secured a court order to confiscate the estate, located in the Lokogoma district of Abuja.
Originally, the estate was associated with another unnamed former government official. However, Emefiele, represented by his attorney A.M. Kotoye, argues that he should have been included in the legal proceedings, as he has a vested interest in the property.
He is now pursuing the Appeal Court’s annulment of the lower court’s decision.
“I was unaware of the forfeiture,” Emefiele asserts.
He notified the court that the EFCC had published the interim forfeiture notice in a less prominent section of a newspaper, which made it challenging to detect.
Moreover, Emefiele clarified that he was concurrently handling three criminal cases in both Abuja and Lagos, which impeded his ability to notice the publication.
He further alleged that the EFCC was intentionally hiding the forfeiture case from him, even though they were actively engaging with him regarding other charges.
However, the trial court rejected his assertion, ruling that the EFCC had adhered to due process and that the newspaper notice was adequate.
The judge stated that the notice “could not reasonably be characterised as concealed.”
Dissatisfied with the outcome, Emefiele filed an appeal on April 30, 2025, asking the Court of Appeal to: overturn the judgment issued on April 28, 2025; annul the interim and final forfeiture orders dated November 1 and December 2, 2024, respectively; and approve his application submitted on January 28, 2025.
He contended that the trial court had misinterpreted his application and incorrectly dismissed it without giving due consideration to essential facts, claiming that the orders were based on “hearsay, suspicion, and insufficient evidence.”
Emefiele also asserted that he held both legal and equitable interests in the estate, despite the court’s claim that he had not provided evidence of ownership.
“The entire ruling is a miscarriage of justice,” Emefiele declared.
He added, “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.”
Meanwhile, Emefiele’s legal team has written to the Minister of Housing, urging the government to halt all plans to sell the estate until the appeal is resolved.
“We are aware that the properties may soon be sold to the public. We have already served the EFCC with a notice of appeal and an injunction,” the letter stated.
The federal government had recently announced intentions to auction the estate to low- and middle-income Nigerians.