From Victor Osula, Abuja
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the permanent forfeiture of the multi-billion-naira parcels of land earmarked for the Goodluck Jonathan Legacy Model Housing Estate to the Federal Government, directing that the long-abandoned housing project be completed and made available to Nigerians.
Justice Mohammed Umar made the order after granting a motion on notice filed by counsel to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Mr Osuobeni Akponimisingha. The application was not opposed by counsel to the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Hassan Liman, SAN.
In a ruling delivered on December 11, 2025, but sighted on Tuesday, Justice Umar ordered the ICPC, on behalf of the Federal Government, to supervise the development of the forfeited lands to ensure the completion of the proposed 962 housing units. The judge directed that the supervision be carried out in collaboration with the FMBN and that the houses be utilised by end users as originally intended.
Specifically, the court ordered the final forfeiture of Plot No. 5 in Cadastral Zone D12, Kaba District, Abuja, measuring about 122,015.80 square metres and valued at ₦1.94 billion, as well as Plot No. 4 in the same district, measuring approximately 157,198.30 square metres and valued at ₦3.34 billion. The court held that the properties were suspected proceeds of unlawful activity.
Justice Umar further ordered the ICPC to facilitate the handover of the forfeited properties to the FMBN, described as the victim of the alleged unlawful activity. He also directed the ICPC and the FMBN to jointly set up a committee, drawn from both agencies, to ensure the completion of the housing project.
The judge recalled that the court had earlier, on July 9, granted the ICPC’s request for interim forfeiture of the lands pending the determination of the substantive suit, following an ex parte application by the anti-corruption agency.
The ICPC, in its filings, told the court that the lands were freely allocated by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for the construction of 962 housing units under the National Housing Fund Scheme. According to an affidavit deposed to by an ICPC officer, Mr Iliya Marcus, investigations revealed that the FMBN engaged a private developer, Good Earth Power Nigeria Limited, for the project, which was approved on July 30, 2012, during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Marcus stated that although the FMBN reportedly secured a $65 million loan facility from Ecobank Limited and paid about ₦3.785 billion as an initial drawdown to the developer, no single housing unit was constructed on the site. He added that the full project sum was allegedly paid without evidence of progress, and that the developer was making moves to dispose of the land to unsuspecting members of the public.
In granting the forfeiture, Justice Umar questioned why the entire project sum was paid upfront without commensurate work on the ground, stressing that the assets must now be secured and deployed for the benefit of Nigerians, particularly low-income earners for whom the housing scheme was conceived.
