The 753 housing units in the Abuja housing estate of the former Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, have been handed over to the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
The Executive Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede, officially handed over the estate to the Minister of Housing and Urban Development in Abuja on Tuesday.
Persecondnews recalls that the 753 housing units linked to the embattled former CBN Governor were seized by the EFCC.
The EFCC’s Chairman said the handing over of the forfeited properties was a demonstration of the impact of the fight against financial crimes and corruption in Nigeria in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
He recalled an investigation into the property, which started a year, leading to a civil forfeiture of the asset due to the belief that no one could have owned it legitimately.
The EFCC boss also emphasized the need for accountability and transparency in managing forfeited assets, informing of the directive from President Tinubu to hand over the asset to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development for completion.
“It is important for us to demonstrate to Nigerians that whatever proceeds of crime that we have recovered in the course of our work, the application of that will be made transparent to Nigerians so that we will not allow looted assets to be looted again,” he said.
The EFCC Chairman said that the estate contained hundreds of apartments on a parcel of land measuring 150,462.86 square meters and located at plot 109, Cadastral Zone, co9, Lokogoma District, Abuja.
He promised that the anti-graft agency would monitor the project completion by the ministry for periodic reports and feedback to the president.
Dangiwa commended the leadership of EFCC under Olukoyede for the sustained efforts in the fight against corruption and the recovery of public assets.
“This marks a significant milestone in our collective determination to ensure that recovered assets are put to productive use in ways that directly benefit the Nigerian people. The housing estate recovered from the former governor of the central bank is a case in point,” he said.
Dangiwa said that following the formal handover of the estate by the EFCC, the ministry will conduct a joint familiarization tour of the facility alongside the EFCC team to properly assess its state.
“We intend to carry out thorough integrity and structural assessments on all buildings and associated infrastructure to confirm their safety and suitability for habitation,” the minister said.
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