By Abidemi Samuel
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In a significant ruling, the Federal High Court in Lagos, presided over by Justice Deinde Dipeolu, has ordered the final forfeiture of a warehouse and 54 general-purpose steel containers to the Federal Government of Nigeria. The warehouse, built on a 1.925-hectare property, is located along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Magboro, Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State ¹.
The court’s decision follows an application for forfeiture filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), after no individual or organization came forward to claim the assets. On November 28, Justice Dipeolu had ordered an interim forfeiture and instructed the EFCC to publish the order in a national newspaper, allowing interested parties to contest the forfeiture.
At the resumed hearing, EFCC’s counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, informed the court that the commission had complied with the court’s directives, and no claims had been made on the assets. Oyedepo argued that the application for final forfeiture was made under Section 44(2)(B) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) and Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006, as well as the court’s inherent jurisdiction.
The assets in question, which are reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities, include:
A warehouse built on a 1.925-hectare property at Km 8 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Magboro
After reviewing the submissions and processes filed before the court, Justice Dipeolu granted the relief sought and ordered the final forfeiture of all the listed assets to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
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