NDLEA Gets Court Nod To Finally Forfeit Seized Money, Destroys Drugs

NDLEA Gets Court Nod To Finally Forfeit Seized Money, Destroys Drugs

A Lagos Federal High Court, has ordered final forfeiture of various foreign currencies, seized and recovered from various drugs traffickers, by National Drugs law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), to the Federal government of Nigeria.

The court has also granted NDLEA’s request to public destruction of various types of drugs seized from the drug traffickers.

Some of the foreign currencies ordered to be finally forfeited to the Federal government of Nigeria by the court presided over by Justice Nicholas Oweibo includes; $284,939 USD, €66,495 Euro, £24, 260 BPS; N9,854,430 million; CFA 705,500, R3, 156 S.A Rand; 4,070 Rupees; $521,500 (FAKE USD), 1,440 Hong Kong Dollars; 2,875 Japanese Yuan; 1,250 Mozambican Meticais and N77,000.00 (counterfeit).

Others include; 381 Brazillian REAIS, 80 UAE Dirham, 19,700 Dirham (counterfeit), 50 pieces of coins, 46, 700 Yen; 6 Trindad & Tobago; 24,100 Korean Won, 2,120 Bangladeshi Taka, 13,000 Lebanese Uban; 30,000 Sierrea Leones; 100 Surinamese Dollar; 200 Kenyan Shillings; 825 Gambian Dallasis; 1,370 Thai Bath; 2,620 Philippine Peso; 118,000 Vietnamese Dong; 550 Malaysian Ringgit and 45 Ghanian Cedis.

While the seized drugs ordered to be publicly destroyed includes; Cocaine weighing 12.5 Kilogrammes, Psychotropic substances weighing 874.064 Kilogrammes, methamphetamine weighing 12.55 Kilogrammes, cannabis weighing 20,640.119 Kilogrammes and khat weighing 2, 434, 84 Kilogrammes.

The granting of orders for final forfeiture of the monies and public destruction of the seized substances, was sequel to two different applications filed and moved before the court by Mr. Fingere Dinneys Owen, one of the Legal Officers in the agency.

 In urging the court to grant the applications, Owen said the orders sought for were pursuant to sections 35(a), 3(g), (31), 32(e) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of 2004, and the court’s inherent jurisdisction. 

Owen also informed the court that the applications for the orders sought for were supported with affidavits deposed to by one Olayinka Kareem, a litigation officer attached to the NDLEA’s Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services.

The NDLEA’s legal Officer further told the court that the monies sought to be forfeited, were seized from defendants who have jumped bail; those on bench warrant, who are deceased and those that have been convicted by the Court, for various drug related offences between 2010 to 2021.

While the drugs to be publicly destroyed, were seized from persons convicted by court, as well as those that were  abandoned seizure from persons who escaped arrest between January to July 2022.

Justice Oweibo after listening to the submission made by the lawyer, ordered that the listed currencies be forfeited to the federal government of Nigeria and that the drugs be publicly destroyed.

editor

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