NDLEA Gets Court Nod On Seized Monies, Destroys Drugs Recovered From Traffickers

The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of various foreign currencies recovered from various drugs traffickers by National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), to the federal government of Nigeria.

Justice Nicholas Oweibo, who gave the order also authorised the NDLEA to publicly destroy various types of illicit drugs seized from the drug traffickers.

Some of the foreign currencies ordered to be finally forfeited to the federal government include; USD 284,939, 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 Metical and N77,000.00 (counterfeit).

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Others include; 381 Brazilian REAIS, 80 UAE Dirham, 19,700 Dirham (counterfeit), 50 pieces of coins, 46, 700 Yen; 6 Trinidad & Tobago; 24,100 Korean Won, 2,120 Bangladeshi Taka, 13,000 Lebanese Uban; 30,000 Sierra Leones; 100 Surinamese Dollar; 200 Kenyan Shillings; 825 Gambian Dallas; 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 judge granted the orders for final forfeiture of the monies and the public destruction of the seized substances following two separate applications filed and moved by Fingere Owen, one of the Legal Officers in the agency.

While urging the court to grant the applications, Owen said the orders sought were under 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 jurisdiction.

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

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

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