The Federal High Court in Abuja, yesterday granted an application by the ICPC to temporarily take over the expanse land approved for the Goodluck Jonathan Legacy Model Housing Estate.
Justuc Mohammed Umar granted the application after ICPC’s lawyer, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, moved a motion ex- parte to the effect.
Justice Umar held that the interim forfeiture of the multi billion naira assets approved by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) shall be pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
The anti-corruption agency, in the motion ex-parte marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1124/2025, listed FMBN as sole respondent.
The commission sought an order “temporarily forfeiting Plot No. 5 in Cadastral Zone D12, Kaba District, Abuja measuring approximately 122015.80m2 and valued at N1,944,375,000.00 (One Billion, Nine Hundred Forty-Four Million, Three Hundred and Seventy-Five Thousand Naira).”
It also sought an order temporarily forfeiting Plot No. 4 in Cadastral Zone D12, Kaba District, Abuja, measuring approximately 157198.30m2 and valued at N3,340,500,000.00 (Three Billion, Three Hundred Forty Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira).”
The lands were suspected of being proceeds of an unlawful activity.
It equally sought an order directing the commission to take over and secure the said immoveable property from being converted to personal use or sold off to unsuspecting members of public.
The ICPC further sought an order directing the commission to publish a notice in any national newspaper for interested person(s) to show cause why the assets should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
Giving 14 grounds why the application should be granted, the agency said the alleged assets were allocated by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) freely for the construction of 962 residential housing units through the FMBN.
In the affidavit deposed to by an ICPC’s officer, Iliya Marcus, he averred that the commission received an intelligence report that the FMBN engaged a private developer to construct 962 of residential housing units under National Housing Fund Scheme.
According to him, the commission in its usual characteristics of proactiveness launched a discreet preliminary investigation activities into the said intelligence report and discovered the following:
The FMBN requested and got approval to commence construction of “Goodluck Jonathan Legacy Model Housing Estate” on July 30, 2012.
Marcus said following the approval, a framework agreement between FMBN and Good Earth Power Nigeria Limited was entered on Jan. 27, 2012.
He said sequel to the said framework agreement, the bank appointed a consultant for the project vide a letter dated Feb. 1, 2012.
He said the appointment of the consultant was to assist monitor the housing project on behalf of the FMBN to report milestone to enable the bank pay the developer of the proposed estate.
He said investigation revealed that FMBN sought and obtained a loan facility of 65 million U.S. dollars from Ecobank Limited for the construction of the 962 residential housing units through Good Earth Power Nigeria Limited, a private company for the benefit of low income earners.
He said the tenure of the project was for 18 months.
Marcus said th FMBN through the then managing director paid to Good Earth Power Nigeria Limited the sum of N3,785,000,000.00 as drawdown on Nov. 22, 2012.
He said the alleged sum of money was paid as drawdown without evidence of registration with Real Estate Developers Association by Good Earth Power Nigeria Limited as pre-condition for such payment.
“Investigation also revealed that the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria has paid the full project amount of (65 million dollars to Good Earth Power Nigeria Limited without a single house on the project site,” he said.