The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has listed the Silverbird Entertainment Centre in Abuja for sale, aiming to recover a multi-billion naira debt tied to former senator Ben Murray-Bruce and companies connected to his family.
In a public notice recently issued by the Corporation, AMCON announced that the prominent commercial property located in the Central Area of Abuja’s Cadastral Zone is open to bids from interested buyers.
The entertainment centre is one of several assets across states such as Lagos, Rivers, Oyo, and Plateau that AMCON is currently offering for sale.
Originally seized in 2016 following a Federal High Court order, the Abuja mall operates under Silverbird Entertainment and was taken over due to a debt exceeding N10 billion.
The liabilities are associated with several businesses owned by the Murray-Bruce family, including Silverbird Productions Limited, Silverbird Showtime Limited, and Silverbird Galleria Limited.
That year, Justice C.M.A. Olatoregun appointed M.A. Banire as receiver to manage the affected assets on behalf of AMCON. The court also prohibited Ben Murray-Bruce, along with his brothers Guy and Roy Murray-Bruce, from disrupting the receiver’s role. The ruling extended to various mortgaged properties located in Abuja, Lagos, and Port Harcourt.
Although efforts were made to resolve the debt through negotiations, AMCON confirmed that the obligation remains unsettled.
The corporation said the sale is part of ongoing efforts to recover assets from high-profile debtors who have defaulted.
The Abuja complex remains one of Silverbird Group’s major assets, featuring a cinema, restaurants, office spaces, and retail outlets. AMCON’s notice states that the mall spans a gross lettable area of 15,050.91 square metres and is being sold in its current condition.
Murray-Bruce, who represented Bayelsa East in the Senate between 2015 and 2019, is also a notable media executive and founder of the Silverbird Group, which runs TV and radio stations in Nigeria and Ghana, along with the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) pageant.
AMCON previously disclosed that, as of 2017, around 400 prominent debtors were responsible for approximately N4.5 trillion—roughly 80 per cent of its outstanding receivables. The agency has since ramped up its recovery initiatives, including asset sales and legal enforcement.
Bids for the Silverbird Abuja property, along with others listed for disposal, are due by July 11. Interested buyers have been directed to AMCON’s website or to contact the coordinating agents for further information.
As of the time of this report, Mr Murray-Bruce had not responded to requests for comment on the development.
(PREMIUM TIMES)
