Court Orders Final Forfeiture Of Seized truck, Minerals In Kwara
THECONSCIENCE NG reports that Justice Olukayode Ariwoola Junior of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin has ordered the final forfeiture of a truck and its consignment of assorted solid minerals seized in Kwara State to the Federal Government.
The ruling was delivered on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, following an application by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In the application, EFCC counsel Sesan Ola requested the court to grant a final order forfeiting the truck bearing registration number PKA216YR, along with the minerals found inside, describing them as unclaimed property that came into the possession of the Commission’s operatives.
The EFCC’s motion relied on Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, No. 14, 2006, and Section 44(2)(B) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.
An affidavit supporting the motion, sworn by EFCC operative Jesse Chong, disclosed that intelligence received in June 2024 pointed to illegal mining activities, as well as the illegal purchase and possession of solid minerals within Kwara State.
The affidavit further revealed that despite an interim court order and a public notice in Leadership Newspaper, the owner of the truck and the 30 tons of solid minerals failed to appear for investigation.
Justice Ariwoola held that the EFCC provided sufficient grounds for the forfeiture and accordingly granted the application, ordering that the truck and minerals be forfeited to the Federal Government.
