Former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, has taken his legal battle to the Court of Appeal in Abuja, asking the court to cancel a previous ruling that ordered the permanent forfeiture of 753 duplexes in Abuja.
The earlier decision was made by the Federal Capital Territory High Court on December 24, 2024, after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission secured a court order to seize the property.
The estate, which spreads across over 150,000 square metres, is situated at Plot 109 in the Lokogoma District of Abuja.
The EFCC claimed the properties were linked to unlawful activities and moved for their transfer to the Federal Government.
Emefiele’s legal team filed the appeal on April 30, 2025, arguing that the lower court was misled by the EFCC.
He claimed that the anti-graft agency hid important details and failed to properly inform him of the interim forfeiture order, which he said prevented him from appearing in court to defend himself.
In the appeal, Emefiele is asking the appellate court to return the properties to him.
He said the original ruling was flawed and that his right to be heard was not respected.
He raised four main issues, including claims that the judge wrongly believed he only wanted to explain why the forfeiture shouldn’t be made final.
Instead, Emefiele said he wanted to cancel the order completely because it was based on falsehoods and made without proper authority.
He also said the judge did not review all the documents and evidence provided, which he believes led to a wrong decision.
According to him, both the interim and final forfeiture orders were based on weak evidence, and no law was broken in how he got the properties.
He maintained that he had a rightful claim to the estate, both legally and personally.
As part of efforts to stop further steps on the property, Emefiele’s lawyers wrote to the Minister of Housing and Urban Development on May 26, 2025, urging the ministry to hold off on any move to auction the estate.
The letter pointed out that an appeal is already ongoing and that notices have been sent to the EFCC and other parties involved.
It was recently reported that the government is planning to sell the seized buildings to Nigerians with low and medium income.
However, Emefiele’s legal team insists that no sale or handover should happen until the Court of Appeal decides on the matter.
