THE Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of two large parcels of land designated for the proposed Goodluck Jonathan Legacy Model Housing Estate, following allegations of financial impropriety surrounding the project.
News Point Nigeria reports that Justice Mohammed Umar made the order while delivering a ruling on a motion on notice filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The application was moved by ICPC counsel, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, and was unchallenged by the defence.
Counsel to the defence, Hassan Liman, SAN, raised no objection to the forfeiture request, prompting the court to grant the application.
In his ruling, Justice Umar directed the ICPC, acting on behalf of the Federal Government, to supervise the completion of the housing project, which comprises 962 proposed residential units.
The judge ordered that the exercise be carried out in collaboration with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN)—the sole respondent in the suit—to ensure that the housing units are eventually allocated to their intended beneficiaries, particularly low-income earners.
The court ordered the final forfeiture of Plot No. 5, Cadastral Zone D12, Kaba District, Abuja, measuring approximately 122,015.80 square metres and valued at ₦1.94 billion, as well as Plot No. 4 in the same zone, measuring about 157,198.30 square metres and valued at ₦3.34 billion.
Justice Umar held that the properties were suspected proceeds of unlawful activity and should be forfeited to the Federal Government.
The judge further directed the ICPC to facilitate the formal handover of the forfeited properties to the FMBN, which he identified as the victim of the alleged unlawful conduct. He also ordered the ICPC and FMBN to set up a joint committee to oversee the completion and implementation of the housing project.
The court recalled that on July 9, it had earlier granted an interim forfeiture of the same properties following an ex parte application by the ICPC, pending the determination of the substantive suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1124/2025.
Documents presented before the court revealed that the plots were freely allocated by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for the construction of 962 housing units under the National Housing Fund (NHF) Scheme, to be executed through the FMBN.
An affidavit deposed to by an ICPC officer, Iliya Marcus, stated 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, which received approval on July 30, 2012, was to be known as the Goodluck Jonathan Legacy Model Housing Estate.
According to the affidavit, the FMBN entered into a framework agreement with the developer and secured a $65 million loan facility from Ecobank for the project. The housing scheme was designed to cater to low-income earners and was expected to be completed within 18 months.
However, investigations by the ICPC revealed that the FMBN allegedly disbursed the entire $65 million project sum upfront to the developer, including a ₦3.78 billion drawdown in November 2012, without evidence of work done on site or compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements.
The commission further alleged that not a single housing unit was constructed despite the full release of funds.
The ICPC also told the court that the developer was allegedly making moves to sell off the land to unsuspecting members of the public, a situation it warned could frustrate recovery efforts and undermine public interest.
While granting the interim forfeiture earlier, Justice Umar had questioned the rationale behind the full upfront payment of the project cost without corresponding progress, stressing the need to protect public assets and ensure that the housing project ultimately serves its original purpose.
The final forfeiture order now places the land under government control, with the court mandating that the abandoned project be revived and delivered to Nigerians it was originally meant to benefit.