Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court, Lagos, today granted an order for the final forfeiture of a Lagos property and other items said be an instruments of committing illegal hard drug trade to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The said property consists of four bedrooms apartment, two sitting rooms and boys quarters.
The final forfeiture order was sequel to an application filed and argued by Mr Buhari Abdulahi of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the application for the final forfeiture order, the landed property is said to belong to an alleged drug trafficking kingpin, Femi Adebanjo, who is said to be in Canada and that the property is being used as the operational base for his illicit drug activities.
When the application came up for hearing today, NDLEA prosecutor Mr Buhari Abdulahi told Justice Alexander Owoeye of a pending motion for forfeiture order and urged the court to allow him move the motion.
Moving the application, Abdulahi informed the court that following an initial order of the court dated the 20th of March 2024 in respect of the property and in compliance with the Court’s directive, NDLEA published the details of the property in the Daily Sun Newspaper of Monday, May 20, 2024 (page 8) and that no person had come forward to claim ownership of the property.
Abdulahi added that subsequent to a renewal order issued by the court on the July 1st , 2025, NDLEA again republished details of the property in the Vanguard Newspaper of Friday, August 1, 2025 (Volume 41, No. 10,640, page 7), inviting any interested party to show cause why a final order of forfeiture should not be made, adding that again, no person has come forward to make any claim or offer explanation.
The applicant said that haven fully complied with the order of the court, he urged the court to grant an order of final forfeiture of the property to the Federal Government of Nigeria in line with the extant law establishing the anti-narcotic agency which gave the court the power to forfeits all instrumentalities used in committing drug offences to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
After listening to Abdulahi’s submission and perusing the documents filed before the court, Justice Owoeye granted a final order of forfeiting of the landed property lying and situates at Block 11, House number 2, Mobalaji Johnson Estate , Lekki Phase 1, Lagos and other items in the property which was said to have been used as instruments of committing drug offences to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
According to the affidavit filed by the NDLEA in suit number FHC/L/MISC/41/2024 and sworn to by one NASIR GARBA BUNGUDU, Deputy Commander of Narcotics, who also double as Deputy Commander, Asset and Financial Investigation, Lagos Strategic Command of the NDLEA,
it was averred that sometime in the year 2023, NDLEA received confidential information concerning the activities of a drug trafficking organization that specialized in the importation of Canadian Loud (a strain of high-grade cannabis sativa) from Canada into Nigeria.
Nasir added that investigations revealed that the said organization used a property located at Block 11, House No. 2, Mobolaji Johnson Estate, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos as a base for storage, distribution, and sale of the illicit drug, as well as for financing drug trafficking activities within and outside Nigeria.
He stated that operatives of the anti-narcotic agency carried out series of surveillance operations on the organization and identified its members, operating base, and drug storage facility
and that the said property was discovered to be used as an instrumentality for committing various drug offences.
It was also stated that investigation further revealed that the drug trafficking organization was headed by one Femi Adebanjo , a notorious drug baron residing in Canada, who coordinated the exportation of illicit drugs from Canada to Nigeria.
That FEMI ADEBANJO purchased the organization’s operational base (the said property) and accommodated his associates, including Ekwejunor Oritsematosan, who is presently standing trial in Charge No. FHC/L/501C/2023 – FRN vs Ekwejunor Oritsematosan & Anor for drug offences, alongside Femaffix Global Services Limited, a company incorporated to launder proceeds of drug business.
It was also stated that following several surveillance operations, that on the 5th of February, 2023, the NDLEA conducted a raid on the said property and recovered 1.088 kilograms of Canadian Loud while five members of the drug cartel were arrested during the operation: Tijani Oladapo Hakeem, Eric Makuo, Adaobi Fortune, Ahmed Jubril, and Ekwejunor Oritsematosan.
The prosecution also said that four of the cartel members, namely, Tijani Oladapo Hakeem, Eric Makuo, Adaobi Fortune, and Ahmed Jubril had pleaded guilty to drug related charges in Charge No. FHC/L/122C/2023 – FRN vs Tijani Oladapo Hakeem & 3 Ors. and were convicted and sentenced accordingly.
That the fifth person, Ekwejunor Oritsematosan, is still standing trial in Charge No. FHC/L/501C/2023 alongside Femaffix Global Services Limited.
The applicant said the drug trafficking kingpin, Femi Adebanjo, who is the owner of the property sought to be forfeited was in Canada during the operation. Consequently, the house was sealed off pending investigation to enable him to appear and clear himself.
That credible intelligence confirmed that Femi Adebanjo was responsible for importing the illicit substance from Canada into Nigeria, while other members of the organization coordinated clearance and distribution through dubious means to avoid detection.
“That investigations established that the landed property sought to be forfeited is owned by Femi Adebanjo, who is now at large, and that it served as the operational base for his illicit drug activities.”
“That since the sealing of the property, the owner has refused to appear for investigation, and no person has come forward to claim ownership or provide information regarding the said property.”
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