The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed fresh charges against former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, accusing him of unlawfully acquiring a 753-unit housing estate in Abuja and laundering billions of naira through proxy bank accounts during his tenure.
According to an eight-count charge filed at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja , the EFCC alleges that Emefiele conspired with a close associate, Eric Ocheme—who is currently at large—to illegally acquire a massive property situated at Plot 109, Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja.
The estate, which sits on approximately 150,462.86 square meters, comprises 753 housing units and was allegedly acquired in August 2021 through criminal collaboration.
The anti-graft agency further claimed that Emefiele laundered billions of naira through two companies—Kelvito Integrated Services and Ifeadigo Integrated Services—using various Zenith Bank accounts suspected to be holding proceeds of unlawful activities.
Specifically, the EFCC alleged that the former CBN governor maintained the following amounts in Kelvito’s proxy accounts over the years:
In addition, another ₦900 million was said to be held in an account operated by Ifeadigo Integrated Services.
The EFCC had earlier secured a court order to forfeit the controversial estate to the Federal Government, but Emefiele is currently battling to overturn the judgment at the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
This development adds to Emefiele’s legal troubles. In November 2023, he was remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre following his arraignment on a six-count charge involving a ₦1.6 billion procurement fraud.
Also, on March 7, 2023, a forensic analyst, Bamaiyi Meriga, testified before an FCT High Court that documents used by Emefiele to request the payment of $6.2 million to foreign election observers were forged.