Wednesday, December 10, 2025 - A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the interim forfeiture and attachment of a business establishment, Rockford Hotel, located at No. 1, Feyisetan Street, Abule Iroko, Sango, Ogun State.
The court found that the property is
reasonably believed to be the proceeds of unlawful activities, specifically
drug trafficking and dealing.
Justice Daniel Osiagor, who presided over the
court granted the order, which covers the entire hotel and all its
appurtenances, following an Ex parte motion filed and moved by the National
Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) through its counsel, Abu Ibrahim.
The sole respondent listed in the suit,
numbered FHC/L/MISC/1343/2025, is Adekanbi Akeem Ayinde, the owner of the
forfeited hotel, whom the NDLEA confirmed is currently at large.
NDLEA declared Ayinde wanted after the arrest of a make-up artist, Adekoya
Adebukonla Mary, who claimed she was travelling to India for fibroid surgery/
She was intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja
with 2.2 kilograms of cocaine.
Investigators traced the drug deal to Ayinde, said to be the
sponsor of the trip.
During the hearing on the case, Ibrahim laid
out the legal foundation for the forfeiture. The motion was brought pursuant to
a combination of legal instruments, including Section 44 (2)(B) & (K) of
the 1999 Constitution, Section 3 (1)(a) & (c) of the NDLEA Act, and
crucially, Sections 7, 9, 10, and 12 of the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and
Management) Act, 2022.
The NDLEA’s counsel presented the court with
four specific prayers to ensure the asset was properly secured and managed.
First, the agency sought and obtained an order
of interim attachment/preservation on the Rockford Hotel, reasonably believed
to be proceeds of unlawful activities to wit, drug trafficking/dealing.
The hotel is registered with the Corporate
Affairs Commission (CAC) with Registration Number 3064821.
Secondly, the order included the mandate to
advertise the seized property in a widely circulated national newspaper within
fourteen days of the grant of the orders, a statutory step required to notify
any potential interested parties.Thirdly, the court granted an “order directing
the applicant to appoint an Asset Manager to carry on the business(es) of
Rockford Hotel, being a going-concern, without prejudice to the Applicable
Law(s).”
Finally, Justice Osiagor ordered a
restriction, restraining “any person or persons from dealing in any manner
whatsoever with the properties” belonging to Ayinde, thereby freezing any
potential attempts to liquidate or transfer the asset.
To justify the interim forfeiture, Abu listed
eight grounds, detailing the investigative links tying the hotel to the illicit
drug trade.
The key grounds centred on the relationship
between the fleeing hotel owner and a convicted drug courier.
Ayinde, the sole proprietor, is alleged to
have conspired with another individual, identified only as ‘Yemi’ (also at
large), to recruit one Adekoya Adebukonla Mary.
Mary has already been convicted and sentenced
to three years’ imprisonment for the unlawful exportation of 2.20 kilograms of
Cocaine destined for India.
According to the NDLEA, further financial
investigations provided the link, uncovering what it termed a huge monetary
transaction between the absconding hotelier, Ayinde, and the convicted Mary,
which it said established a money trail associated with the export of hard
drugs.
The NDLEA motion explicitly stated that all
efforts to apprehend Adekanbi Akeem Ayinde have proven abortive, leading
investigators to conclude that the Rockford Hotel property was acquired/bought
with the proceeds of the illicit drug business.
The Ex parte motion was supported by a
10-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Okonkwo Ebuka Anthony, a Litigation
Officer attached to the MMIA Strategic Command’s Prosecution and Legal Services
Unit, along with supporting documentary exhibits.
In his ruling, Justice Osiagor confirmed that
the application has merit and the same is granted as prayed.
The matter has been adjourned until May 7,
2026, when the NDLEA is expected to present a report of compliance with the
court’s directives.
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