753 Seized housing units: EFCC slams Emefiele with fresh charges

Emefiele in court

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has filed fresh charges against the embattled former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele.

The charges, filed before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja, allege that Emefiele unlawfully acquired a housing estate comprising 753 units, and allegedly stole and controlled billions of naira in proxy accounts.

The EFCC, in the charge, marked CR/350/25 and dated Friday, May 30, 2025, accused Emefiele of colluding with one Eric Ocheme, who is reportedly at large, to acquire the property and monies.

The property is stated to be located at Plot 109, Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, FCT, Abuja.

It spans 150,462.86 square meters and comprises 753 housing units.

The EFCC previously recovered the estate from an unnamed former senior government official and obtained a forfeiture order on the property from the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo, Abuja.

Emefiele, through his lawyer, A.M. Kotoye (SAN), filed a motion as an interested party in the case.

The court in its judgment however dismissed Emefiele’s motion.

Dissatisfied, he appealed the decision at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, seeking to overturn the High Court’s forfeiture order.

The estate has now been handed over to the Federal Government, which has disclosed plans to sell it to low- and middle-income Nigerians.

Emefiele however filed a notice of injunction, urging the government to refrain from taking further action on the property until his appeal is heard.

The EFCC, in an eight-count charge naming Emefiele as the sole defendant, alleges that he knowingly controlled property reasonably suspected to have been unlawfully acquired.