EFCC secures final forfeiture of mineral-laden truck in Kwara

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By Mosunmola Ayobami, Ilorin –

Justice Olukayode Ariwoola (Jnr) of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, ordered the final forfeiture of a truckload of assorted solid minerals to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The ruling followed an application filed by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which convinced the court on the reasons the truck should be permanently forfeited to the government.

While moving the application, EFCC counsel, Sesan Ola, told the court that the commission was seeking an order forfeiting the truck, with registration number PKA 216 YR, and the minerals contained in it as unclaimed property.

Ola explained that the application was brought pursuant to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and Section 44(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In a 17-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Jesse Chong, an EFCC operative, the commission revealed that it had gathered intelligence in June 2024 indicating that certain individuals were engaging in illegal mining, purchase, and possession of solid minerals within Kwara State.

The EFCC further disclosed that despite an interim forfeiture order earlier granted and published in Leadership Newspaper, the owner of the truck and the 30 tons of minerals failed to appear for investigation or claim ownership.

In his ruling, Justice Ariwoola held that the EFCC had provided sufficient evidence to justify the forfeiture and consequently granted the application as prayed, ordering the truck and its contents be forfeited to the Federal Government.