The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the permanent forfeiture of a four-bedroom duplex in Lekki, Lagos, to the Federal Government after it was found to have been used for drug trafficking activities.
Justice Alexander Owoeye gave the order on Tuesday following an application by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA. The property, located at Block 11, House 2, Mobolaji Johnson Estate, Lekki Phase 1, was said to belong to a suspected drug baron residing in Canada.
NDLEA’s counsel, Buhari Abdulahi, told the court that the house served as the operational base for the smuggling of Canadian Loud, a high-grade strain of cannabis sativa, into Nigeria.
“The property served as the operational base for Adebanjo’s illicit drug activities,” Abdulahi said. “He purchased the house and used it to coordinate the storage, distribution, and sale of hard drugs smuggled from Canada.”
The NDLEA said an interim forfeiture order was first granted on March 20, 2024, with publications made in the Daily Sun and Vanguard newspapers to notify potential claimants. However, no one came forward to contest the ownership of the property.
After reviewing the evidence, Justice Owoeye granted the final forfeiture order, describing the property as an instrument used in committing drug crimes.
“Having carefully examined the affidavit evidence and the unchallenged application by the NDLEA, this court hereby orders the final forfeiture of the property to the Federal Government of Nigeria,” he ruled.
According to an affidavit by Deputy Commander of Narcotics, Nasir Garba Bungudu, NDLEA received intelligence in 2023 about a syndicate trafficking Canadian Loud into Nigeria. The Lekki property was later discovered to be the group’s warehouse and coordination centre.
Following weeks of surveillance, NDLEA operatives raided the property on February 5, 2023, recovering over one kilogram of Canadian Loud and arresting five suspects: Tijani Hakeem, Eric Makuo, Adaobi Fortune, Ahmed Jubril, and Ekwejunor Oritsematosan.
Four of the suspects were later convicted, while Oritsematosan and a company, Femaffix Global Services Limited, are still on trial for offences connected to the same network.
NDLEA investigators said the property was bought and maintained with proceeds of drug trafficking. The alleged ringleader, Adebanjo, who remains in Canada, has not appeared or sent any representative to claim ownership.
Justice Owoeye ruled that the property and its contents be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government, noting that due process was followed in the case.
