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The High Court in Abuja has ordered the permanent forfeiture of two large parcels of land earmarked for the Goodluck Jonathan Legacy Model Housing Estate.
Justice Mohammed Umar gave the ruling while hearing a motion filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), argued by its counsel, Osuobeni Akponimisingha.
The court granted the application without opposition, as defence counsel Hassan Liman (SAN) did not object.
In his judgement, Justice Umar directed the ICPC, acting for the Nigerian government, to supervise the completion of the proposed 962 housing units on the forfeited land.
He ordered the commission to work closely with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), the sole respondent in the case, to ensure the houses reach their intended beneficiaries.
The judge ordered the final forfeiture of Plot No. 5, Cadastral Zone D12, Kaba District, Abuja, measuring about 122,015.80 square metres and valued at N1.94bn, alongside Plot No. 4 in the same zone, measuring approximately 157,198.30 square metres and valued at N3.34bn. The court declared both plots to be the proceeds of unlawful activity.
Justice Umar further instructed the ICPC to hand over the forfeited properties to the FMBN, which he identified as the victim of the alleged misconduct.
He also ordered the ICPC and FMBN to set up a joint committee to oversee the completion and execution of the housing project.
The court recalled that on July 9, it had granted an interim forfeiture of the lands following an ex parte application by the ICPC, pending the determination of the substantive suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1124/2025.
Court documents showed that the Federal Capital Territory Administration had allocated the lands free of charge for the construction of 962 housing units under the National Housing Fund Scheme through the FMBN.
An affidavit sworn by an ICPC officer, Iliya Marcus, stated that intelligence reports revealed the FMBN engaged a private developer, Good Earth Power Nigeria Limited, to handle the project.
Approved on July 30, 2012, the scheme was named 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 from Ecobank to fund the project, which targeted low-income earners and was expected to be completed within 18 months.
Investigations, however, showed that the FMBN allegedly released the entire $65m to the developer, including a N3.78bn drawdown in November 2012, without evidence of work on site or compliance with regulatory requirements.
The ICPC alleged that the developer failed to construct a single housing unit despite full payment.
The commission also informed the court that the developer allegedly attempted to sell the land to unsuspecting members of the public, a move it said could hinder recovery efforts.
While granting the earlier interim forfeiture, Justice Umar questioned why the full project sum was paid upfront without visible progress, stressing the need to protect public assets and ensure the project ultimately benefits its intended users.
