Court Orders Seizure of Convicted Drug Trafficker’s Lekki Duplex

Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the permanent forfeiture of a four-bedroom duplex with two sitting rooms and boys’ quarters in Lekki to the Federal Government, after determining that the property was used for drug trafficking operations.

The property, located at Block 11, House 2, Mobolaji Johnson Estate, Lekki Phase 1, was linked to a suspected drug trafficker based in Canada and served as the syndicate’s operational hub for smuggling and distributing Canadian Loud — a potent strain of cannabis — into Nigeria.

Counsel to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Buhari Abdulahi, informed the court that an interim forfeiture order had earlier been issued on March 20, 2024. In compliance with court directives, public notices were published in national newspapers to allow any interested parties to contest the forfeiture, but none came forward.

Abdulahi urged the court to issue a final forfeiture order under the provisions of the NDLEA Act, noting that the property was purchased and maintained with proceeds from drug trafficking.

After reviewing the evidence and submissions, Justice Owoeye granted the application, ruling that the property and all items within it were used in committing drug-related offences.

According to an affidavit filed by NDLEA Deputy Commander of Narcotics, Nasir Garba Bungudu, the agency received intelligence in 2023 about a syndicate smuggling high-grade cannabis from Canada into Nigeria. Surveillance traced their base to the Lekki property, which was used as a warehouse and coordination centre.

During a raid on February 5, 2023, NDLEA operatives seized 1.088 kilograms of Canadian Loud and arrested five suspects: Tijani Hakeem, Eric Makuo, Adaobi Fortune, Ahmed Jubril, and Ekwejunor Oritsematosan. Four of them were later convicted, while one suspect remains on trial along with a company, Femaffix Global Services Limited.

Investigations revealed that the ringleader, identified as Adebanjo, purchased the property to accommodate his associates and manage the syndicate’s operations, using a company to launder the illicit proceeds.

Justice Owoeye concluded that all due legal procedures had been followed and ordered the property’s final forfeiture to the Federal Government as proceeds of crime.