By Ayodeji Adegboyega
The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has listed the Silverbird Entertainment Centre in Abuja for sale to recover a longstanding multi-billion naira debt linked to a former Nigerian Senator, Ben Murray-Bruce, and his companies.
The listing, published in a recent public notice by AMCON, shows that the Abuja Mall, a prime commercial complex located in the Central Area, Cadastral Zone, is now open for bids from interested buyers. The property is among several assets AMCON disposes of across different states, including Lagos, Rivers, Oyo and Plateau.
The Abuja mall, operated under Silverbird Entertainment, was previously seized following a 2016 Federal High Court order over a debt of more than N10 billion owed to AMCON by several companies owned by the Murray-Bruce family. Those affected include Silverbird Productions Limited, Silverbird Showtime Limited and Silverbird Galleria Limited.
In June 2016, the court appointed a receiver, M.A. Banire, to take over the companies’ assets on AMCON’s behalf. Justice C.M.A. Olatoregun, who presided over the matter, also barred Mr Murray-Bruce, his brothers Guy and Roy Murray-Bruce, and other family members from interfering with the receiver’s work. The court’s order covered several mortgaged properties in Abuja, Lagos, and Port Harcourt.
Despite negotiations that followed the initial seizure, the debt remained unresolved. AMCON said the latest sale is part of a broader asset recovery strategy targeting high-profile debtors who have failed to meet their obligations.
Silverbird’s Abuja mall is one of the group’s flagship properties, housing retail shops, a cinema, restaurants and office spaces. According to AMCON’s notice, the property comes with a gross lettable area of 15,050.91 square metres and is being sold as is.
Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, who served in the National Assembly representing Bayelsa East from 2015 to 2019, is also a prominent media entrepreneur and founder of the Silverbird Group, which operates television and radio stations in Nigeria and Ghana, as well as the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) beauty pageant.
As of 2017, AMCON said over 400 high-profile obligors were responsible for about N4.5 trillion nearly 80 per cent of the total outstanding debt on its books. The Corporation has since adopted more aggressive recovery efforts, including asset sales and legal enforcement.
Bids for the Abuja mall and other listed properties are due by 11 July.
Prospective buyers are advised to visit AMCON’s official website or contact the designated coordinating agents for details.
Mr Murray-Bruce did not respond to a request for comment on the planned sale as of the time of filing this report.
