Tinubu, EFCC, Housing Minister Meet Over Forfeited Properties

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday met with the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Olanipekun Olukoyede, and the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Muttaqha Rabe Darma, over the management and disposal of houses and other landed assets forfeited to the Federal Government.

The meeting, held at the State House, Abuja, focused on how forfeited properties secured through anti-corruption and financial crime proceedings can be properly managed, preserved and disposed of in line with transparency and accountability requirements.

The engagement came against the backdrop of the EFCC’s growing portfolio of landed properties secured through interim and final forfeiture orders nationwide.

President Tinubu’s meeting with the EFCC chairman and the Housing Minister also highlights the administration’s focus on moving beyond asset recovery to ensuring that such properties are properly managed and ultimately put to productive public use.

A major property already transferred to the Housing Ministry is the 753-unit housing estate at Plot 109, Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja.

The estate, comprising duplexes and apartments on more than 150,000 square metres of land, was finally forfeited to the Federal Government in December 2024.

The EFCC subsequently handed over the estate to the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in May 2025 for completion and deployment for public benefit.

The estate had been linked to former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele.

Other landed assets linked to Emefiele and subject to forfeiture proceedings include duplexes and apartments in Lekki Phase 1 and Ikoyi; undeveloped land and a bungalow around Queens Drive, Ikoyi; properties on Probyn Road and Adekunle Lawal Road; and an industrial complex covering 22 plots in Agbor, Delta State.

The portfolio also includes a multi-storey development comprising dozens of housing units in the Otunba Elegushi area of Lagos, industrial and warehouse properties, and other plots and estates in Lekki, Ikoyi and Amuwo-Odofin.

The Supreme Court in 2026 also affirmed the forfeiture of seven landed properties linked to Emefiele, alongside monetary and other assets.

The volume of forfeited landed assets has expanded further this year following proceedings involving former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, his associates, family members and companies.

An interim forfeiture order covering 57 properties, estimated at ₦213 billion, was granted in January. In July, 48 properties valued at about ₦180 billion were finally forfeited, while nine were released.

The properties are spread across the Federal Capital Territory, Kebbi, Kano and Kaduna states and include residential buildings, hotels, commercial properties, factories and substantial parcels of land.

Among the properties are a luxury duplex on Amazon Street, Maitama, Abuja; a two-winged storey building formerly occupied by Harmonia Hotels on Onitsha Crescent, Area 11, Garki; and a five-storey, 53-room hotel building in Jabi District.

Other Abuja properties include a 15-room hotel on Rhine Street, Maitama; properties and terraces in Asokoro; residential buildings in Gwarimpa, BUA Estate, Apo Legislative Quarters, Wuse II and Karsana; as well as commercial developments in Wuse II and other parts of the capital.

The forfeited portfolio also includes residential and hospitality properties in Kano. At the same time, the Kebbi assets comprise extensive landed developments, buildings associated with agro-allied and hospitality businesses and large parcels of land, including more than 100 hectares along the Birnin Kebbi-Jega Road.

A residential property in Abakpa GRA, Kaduna, was also among the assets covered by the forfeiture proceedings.

The EFCC has also obtained an interim forfeiture order over nine high-value properties in Abuja linked to former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva.

The properties include terraces in Dakibiyu, duplexes and office complexes in different parts of Abuja, blocks of flats in Wuse and Garki, as well as buildings in Maitama and Mpape.

In another case, 52 terrace and maisonette housing units at Mercyville Estate, Covenant Way, Ilasan, Lekki, Lagos, were finally forfeited in July 2026.

The anti-graft agency had earlier secured the final forfeiture of several unclaimed landed assets spread across Abuja and other states, including residential and commercial properties in Karsana, Dakibiyu, and Guzape in the FCT, as well as properties and land in Borno, Nasarawa, and Niger states.

Available figures indicate the scale of the asset-management challenge before the Federal Government, with the EFCC reporting the recovery of more than 1,500 non-monetary assets, predominantly properties, between late 2023 and 2025.

However, the status of the properties varies from case to case. While some have finally been forfeited to the Federal Government, others remain under interim forfeiture orders and may still be subject to claims, appeals, or other judicial processes.

The meeting is therefore expected to strengthen coordination between the EFCC and the Housing Ministry in managing the growing portfolio of forfeited properties.

The EFCC secures forfeiture orders and takes possession of recovered assets. At the same time, the Housing Ministry has the technical capacity to assess, complete, manage or deploy housing assets transferred to the government.

The transfer of the 753-unit Lokogoma estate has already demonstrated how properties recovered through anti-corruption proceedings can be converted into housing stock for public benefit.

The Tinubu administration has also been developing mechanisms to improve the tracking and management of recovered assets, including the National Central Database of Forfeited Assets, as part of efforts to ensure that properties recovered on behalf of the state are properly documented, preserved, and protected from opaque disposal.

The latest meeting signals the administration’s effort to ensure that forfeited houses and landed assets are not left idle but are managed and disposed of through transparent processes that preserve their value and deliver benefits to the Nigerian public.

Meanwhile, President Tinubu also held a closed-door meeting with Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the Minister of Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.