Photo caption : The forfeited property at No 5A, Addison Palmer, Cardigan Estate , Osapa London, Lekki,Lagos.
A Federal High Court, Lagos on Thursday ordered the final forfeiture of a landed property at Number 5A, Addison Palmer Close, Cadogan Estate , Osapa , London , Lekki , Lagos and all other items therein to the Federal Government of Nigeria for being used as instrumentality of illicit drug trade.
Justice Mohammed Kala of the the Federal High Court, Lagos gave the order of final forfeiture following an application made by National Drug Law Enforcement Agency prosecutor, NDLEA, Mr B.S Abdulahi.
In the application Abdulahi sought for an order of final forfeiture of the landed property alongside all other furniture, fittings, fixtures ,electronic and electrical appliances in the property said to have been used as instrumentality of commiting drug office.
Stating grounds for the application, the applicant said the property sought to be forfeited and other items therein were used for the storage, distribution, dealing and financing of hard drug business.
The applicant stated that investigation into the property revealed that the property has been used for long as storage facility and instrumentality of illicit drug trade and that the continued keeping of the said property and item therein in the custody of NDLEA since it was sealed will cause decay, depreciation in value and burdensome to the applicant.
In the affidavit filed in support of the application for the forfeiture, the applicant said that sometimes in January 2025 , NDLEA operatives received actionable intelligence that one Bola Badru Okoya imports and distributes Canadian Loud ,Cannabis Sativa from Canada to Nigeria .
That upon acting on the intelligence, it was gathered that the Cannabis Sativa importer Bola Badru Okoya owned the property at number 5A, Addison Palmer,Cardogan Estate ,Lekki, Lagos where he and his associates coordinates and dealt in Cannabis Sativa.
That Bola Badru Okoya recruited some people in Nigeria who manage his illegal business of drug business among whom were Muhammed Tom Ibrahim who reside and supervise the drug business in the house and one Ade who specialize in the distribution of the substance without being detected.
Applicant further stated that on the 12th of January , 2015 operative of the agency raided the house and conducted a search in the presence of Mohammed Tom Ibrahim which led to the recovery of 28 kilogrammes of Canadian loud.
It was also stated that Ibrahim was arrested and he confessed his complicity to the illicit business and further explained that the house belong to his master who import the Canadian loud into Nigeria.
According to the affidavit, Mohammed Tom Ibrahim was later charged and arraigned alongside the seized drug exhibit and was convicted and sentence to 5 years imprisonment or an option of payment of N3million fine .
That during review of facts of the case against Ibrahim, he admitted committing the offence and also admitted that Bola Badru Okoya owns the house, while further investigation also confirmed Okoya who is at large as owner of the said property.
That after about five months of no one coming forward to claim the property, NDLEA applied for interim forfeiture of the property which was granted on July 18, 2025 with the court directing that the interim forfeiture order must be published in a national daily for interested party to come forward and prove ownership.
Abdulahi also submitted that the agency has complied with the order of the court by making publication in the Nation newspapers but that no one has come forward to lay claim to the property.
He then urged the court to forfeit the property finally to the federal government of Nigeria.
After listening to the submission of B.S Absulahi and going the the process filed , Justice Mohammed Kala granted the application for final forfeiture and ordered that the property be forfeited to the federal government of Nigeria.
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