The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed a fresh eight-count charge against embattled former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, accusing him of large-scale corruption involving 753 housing units and billions of naira stashed in proxy accounts.
The charges, submitted at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, detail how Emefiele allegedly conspired with a fugitive associate, Eric Ocheme, to illegally acquire a sprawling real estate estate located at Plot 109, Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja, in August 2021.
According to the EFCC, the estate—comprising 753 units of houses—was purchased using suspicious funds, prompting the anti-graft agency to obtain a court order last week to forfeit the property to the federal government.
In a breakdown of the alleged financial misconduct, the EFCC claimed that between January and December 2019, Emefiele maintained a proxy account with Zenith Bank holding ₦167 million, a sum the commission suspects to be proceeds of crime.
The anti-graft body further alleged that Emefiele and Ocheme jointly controlled ₦1.23 billion in Kelvito Integrated Services’ account in 2020, and ₦1.98 billion in the same account in 2022, both allegedly laundered through Zenith Bank.
Another ₦900 million was reportedly traced to Ifedigo Integrated Services’ account at Zenith Bank, while an additional ₦600 million was said to have been held in a second account linked to the same company—both under Emefiele’s indirect control.
“The funds across these accounts are reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities carried out during his tenure as CBN Governor,” the EFCC stated.
While Emefiele has consistently denied wrongdoing, he has now approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja, seeking to overturn the forfeiture ruling that handed the controversial housing estate to the federal government.
The latest charges mark a deepening legal crisis for the former apex bank chief, who is already facing multiple court battles following his suspension and subsequent arrest in 2023.
