After years of inactivity and allegations of financial misconduct, the federal government has obtained a court order to permanently take over the controversial Goodluck Jonathan Legacy Model Housing Estate in Abuja.
In a ruling delivered by Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, the final forfeiture of the vast parcel of land originally designated for the housing scheme was ordered, declaring it to be property reasonably suspected to have been acquired through unlawful means.
The order followed an unchallenged application filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), the sole respondent in the matter, not objecting to the motion.
As part of the judgment, the court mandated the ICPC to take charge of supervising the completion of the stalled housing estate in collaboration with the FMBN. Justice Umar directed that the project must be completed strictly in line with its original purpose — the delivery of 962 housing units to Nigerians who genuinely require affordable accommodation.
The judge noted that the forfeiture was intended to safeguard public interest and recover value from a project that had already absorbed substantial public resources without any tangible results.
The forfeited assets comprise two large plots of land situated in Kaba District, Abuja. One measures approximately 122,386 square metres and was valued at about ₦1.98 billion, while the second spans roughly 157,401 square metres with an estimated worth of over ₦3.3 billion. Both parcels were adjudged to be proceeds of suspected unlawful activities.
Justice Umar further ordered that the properties be formally handed over to the FMBN, which the court identified as the primary victim of the alleged irregular transactions linked to the abandoned housing scheme. He also directed the ICPC and FMBN to immediately constitute a joint committee to manage the redevelopment of the estate and ensure transparency in its eventual allocation.
The ruling capped earlier proceedings in the case, which began in July when the court granted an interim forfeiture order after the ICPC filed an ex parte application seeking to secure the land pending final determination.
Investigations by the anti-corruption agency showed that the Federal Capital Territory Administration had allocated the land at no cost under the National Housing Fund Scheme to enable the construction of 962 affordable homes for low-income earners.
Court documents revealed that FMBN appointed Good Earth Power Nigeria Limited as the project developer after the estate was approved in 2012 and named after former President Goodluck Jonathan. The bank subsequently secured a $65 million loan facility for the project and disbursed the entire amount to the developer.
However, ICPC findings presented before the court indicated that not a single housing unit was built on the site despite the release of the funds. The agency further alleged that the developer attempted to sell the land to unsuspecting members of the public, raising fears that the public asset could be irretrievably lost without urgent judicial intervention.
In agreeing with the ICPC’s arguments, Justice Umar faulted the project’s funding structure and questioned how the full contract sum was paid upfront without adequate safeguards or milestones, describing the arrangement as a recipe for abuse.
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