Reported By Mary Udezue | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Abuja — In a major anti‑corruption ruling with wide‑ranging implications for public assets and housing policy, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the permanent forfeiture of multi‑billion‑naira land parcels originally set aside for the Goodluck Jonathan Legacy Model Housing Estate to the Federal Government of Nigeria. The decision, delivered by Justice Mohammed Umar, marks the conclusion of a long‑running legal battle and paves the way for renewed development of the stalled housing project.
The court’s ruling, which was made final following a motion on notice filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), was not contested by defence counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Hassan Liman, SAN. Justice Umar directed the ICPC, acting on behalf of the federal government, to oversee the forfeited land and ensure the completion of the housing estate in collaboration with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), the sole respondent in the matter.
In his elaboration, the judge ordered the final forfeiture of two key parcels of land located in Cadastral Zone D12, Kaba District, Abuja — sites originally earmarked for the construction of 962 residential housing units under the National Housing Fund Scheme.
The first plot, Plot No. 5, measures approximately 122,015.80 square metres and is valued at roughly ₦1.94 billion, while the second, Plot No. 4, spans around 157,198.30 square metres with an estimated value of ₦3.34 billion. Both parcels were declared suspected proceeds of unlawful activity, a determination that underpinned the court’s decision to transfer ownership to the government for public use.
The disputed land was initially allocated by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) free of charge for the execution of the housing project, which was to be delivered through the FMBN in partnership with a private developer, Good Earth Power Nigeria Limited. According to court filings, the FMBN secured a $65 million loan facility from Ecobank Limited, equivalent to over ₦14 billion at prevailing exchange rates, and disbursed about ₦3.785 billion as an initial drawdown to the developer. Despite the substantial funding, no housing units were constructed on the site since the project’s approval in 2012, leading to allegations that public resources had been dissipated without commensurate project progress.
Justice Umar’s decision, delivered on 11 December 2025 and recently formalised in the court’s enrolled order, builds on an earlier interim forfeiture order granted in July 2025, when the court allowed the ICPC to temporarily take over the properties pending the substantive hearing of the case.
In his ruling, the judge raised questions about the rationale for paying the full project sum upfront without visible work on the ground and stressed that assets suspected to be derived from unlawful activity should not remain unused or be at risk of exploitation. He underscored that the properties must now be protected and employed for the benefit of Nigerians, particularly the low‑income earners for whom the housing scheme was originally intended.
To ensure effective utilisation of the forfeited lands, Justice Umar directed the ICPC and FMBN to establish a joint committee drawn from both agencies. The committee is tasked with supervising the completion of the housing project and ensuring that the eventual units are allocated to genuine beneficiaries, thereby fulfilling the scheme’s original social objectives.
The Federal High Court’s order is a significant development in Nigeria’s continuing campaign against corruption, particularly in cases involving high‑value public assets and housing initiatives. It underscores judicial willingness to intervene where public funds have been deployed without corresponding accountability or development outcomes, and it reinforces the role of anti‑graft agencies such as the ICPC in recovering state resources suspected to have been misused.
The ruling also has broader implications for public confidence in nationally‑sponsored housing schemes, many of which have been marred by delays, cost overruns, or allegations of mismanagement. By reclaiming the Abuja land and mandating coordinated action toward project completion, the court has set a precedent for proactive asset recovery and utilisation, while reinforcing the principle that stalled or abandoned public projects must not remain dormant at the expense of citizens.
As authorities move to implement the order, attention will turn to the practical rollout of the housing project under ICPC and FMBN oversight — a process that will be closely watched by civil society, urban development stakeholders, and prospective beneficiaries alike. The forfeited plots, now valued collectively at more than ₦5.2 billion, represent some of the most prominent government‑directed asset recoveries in recent years and signal an assertive stance against corruption‑linked abuse of public property.
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