Justice Deinde I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, on Monday, July 15, 2024, ordered the final forfeiture of 20 cars stolen from Canada to Nigeria.
The vehicles, which include models such as Black SUV 400, White 4MATIC Mercedez Benz, SUV MDX SH-AWD Acura, and others, were forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
This decision came following a motion on notice filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), as stated in a release from the commission on July 17. Earlier, on May 27, 2024, Justice Dipeolu had ordered the interim forfeiture of the vehicles and mandated their publication in a national newspaper to notify any interested parties to appear and show cause against the forfeiture.
During the recent court session, the EFCC confirmed compliance with the publication order. Counsel for the EFCC, R.A. Abdulrasheed, supported the motion for final forfeiture with a 17-paragraph affidavit from Olufemi Olukini, an EFCC investigator, and a written address. The affidavit detailed how the EFCC received intelligence from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) about over 350 stolen vehicles shipped to Nigeria. Subsequent investigations and operations led to the recovery of these vehicles, with no claims of ownership from anyone.
In granting the final forfeiture order, Justice Dipeolu empowered the Canadian Deputy High Commission in Nigeria or their designated officer to dispose of the forfeited properties, subject to remitting two percent of the proceeds to the EFCC Recovery Account.
