Justice Olukayode Ariwoola Jr. of the Federal High Court in Ilorin has ordered the final forfeiture of a truck and its consignment of solid minerals to the Federal Government.
The ruling followed an application by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which argued that the seized items remained unclaimed and were linked to illegal mining activities in Kwara State.
EFCC counsel, Sesan Ola, urged the court to grant the application 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. He noted that the truck, with registration number PKA216YR, and its 30-ton load of assorted minerals, had remained unclaimed despite public notices.
An affidavit deposed by EFCC operative Jesse Chong disclosed that intelligence gathered in June 2024 pointed to the illegal mining, purchase, and possession of solid minerals in the state. Despite an interim forfeiture order and public advertisements, no individual came forward to claim the truck or its contents.
In his ruling, Justice Ariwoola held that the EFCC had provided sufficient grounds for the forfeiture and granted the application as prayed.
