Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court, Lagos, has ordered the final forfeiture of a four-bedroom duplex with two sitting rooms and boys’ quarters in Lekki to the Federal Government of Nigeria after finding that it was used for illegal drug activities. The judge, on Tuesday, ordered that the property located at Block 11, House 2, Mobolaji Johnson Estate, Lekki Phase 1, be forfeited to the Federal Government following an application filed and argued by counsel to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Mr. Buhari Abdulahi. In his application, Abdulahi told the court that the property belonged to a suspected drug baron, Femi Adebanjo, currently residing in Canada, and was allegedly used as an operational base for trafficking 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 told the court. “He purchased the house and used it to coordinate storage, distribution, and sale of hard drugs smuggled into Nigeria from Canada,” he said. He informed the court that an interim forfeiture order had been made on March 20, 2024, and that, in compliance with the court’s directive, details of the property were published in the Daily Sun newspaper of May 20, 2024, and later in the Vanguard newspaper of August 1, 2025, inviting any interested party to contest the forfeiture.
“Despite the publications and adequate notice, no person or entity came forward to lay claim to the property or provide any explanation,” Abdulahi said, urging the court to grant the final forfeiture order. He added that the application was brought in line with the provisions of the NDLEA Act, which empowers the court to confiscate assets used in committing drug-related offences. After reviewing the submissions and documents before him, Justice Owoeye granted the order for final forfeiture, describing the property and items within it as “instruments used in committing drug offences.” “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,” the judge ruled.
According to an affidavit filed by Deputy Commander of Narcotics, Nasir Garba Bungudu, attached to the NDLEA’s Lagos Strategic Command, the agency had received intelligence in 2023 about a drug trafficking network smuggling Canadian Loud from Canada into Nigeria. Investigations traced the syndicate’s base to the Lekki property, which served as a warehouse and coordination centre for drug storage, financing, and distribution. Surveillance operations identified the group’s members and operational patterns before a raid was conducted on February 5, 2023. During the operation, NDLEA operatives recovered 1.088 kilograms of Canadian Loud and arrested five suspects Tijani Oladapo Hakeem, Eric Makuo, Adaobi Fortune, Ahmed Jubril, and Ekwejunor Oritsematosan.
“Our investigation confirmed that the property was purchased and maintained with proceeds of drug trafficking,” Bungudu stated in the affidavit. “It was the central hub for the syndicate’s criminal operations.” Four of the suspects were later convicted in Charge No. FHC/L/122C/2023 – FRN v. Tijani Oladapo Hakeem & 3 Others, after pleading guilty to drug trafficking charges. The fifth suspect, Ekwejunor Oritsematosan, is still facing trial alongside Femaffix Global Services Limited in Charge No. FHC/L/501C/2023, for offences linked to the same cartel.
NDLEA investigators further established that Femi Adebanjo, identified as the ringleader, purchased the Lekki property to house his associates and manage the syndicate’s operations. He allegedly used Femaffix Global Services Limited to launder proceeds from the illicit trade. “Since the property was sealed, neither Adebanjo who remains at large nor any representative has come forward to claim ownership or offer any explanation,” Bungudu added. Justice Owoeye consequently ruled that the property and all items within be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government as assets derived from, or used in, the commission of drug offences. “The court is satisfied that due process has been followed,” Justice Owoeye declared. “Accordingly, the property and its contents are hereby forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
