A Kwara State High Court has ordered the former Senior Special Assistant on Community Intervention to the Kwara State Governor, Kayode Oyin-Zubair, to forfeit two tractors and two tricycles to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Oyin-Zubair, who served between 2020 and 2023, had allegedly approached SEAP to finance the procurement of 100 tricycles and 100 mini-buses for members of the Tricycle Owners Association of Nigeria (TOAN), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN).
SEAP disbursed N192 million for the scheme, but investigations allegedly revealed that N72 million in repayments made by the beneficiaries was diverted and used to acquire two tractors and two tricycles in Oyin-Zubair’s name.
A report from the court proceedings stated that Justice Haleema Saleeman of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, delivered the ruling on Thursday, July 24, 2025.
The judge dismissed Oyin-Zubair’s application to set aside the interim forfeiture order, affirming that the items were proceeds of unlawful activity.
The EFCC had recovered the items from a warehouse along Fate Road in Ilorin after investigations linked them to diverted public funds meant for a transport empowerment scheme.
Findings further showed that N72 million in repayments from beneficiaries was diverted and used to purchase the tractors and tricycles in Oyin-Zubair’s name.
However, in spite of objections from his legal team, the EFCC, represented by Mustapha Kaigama, presented documents and testimony showing clear links between the misappropriated funds and the seized assets.
The judge, therefore, granted final forfeiture of the properties to SEAP, bringing a conclusive end to the case.
The total value of the forfeited items was estimated at N57.4 million.
However, Oyin Zubair has filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal, Ilorin Division, challenging the ruling of the Kwara State High Court which ordered the forfeiture of his two tractors and two tricycles to the Federal Government.
The appeal, marked CA/IL/2025 and filed on Friday, July 25, 2025, is contesting the entire decision of Justice Saleeman granting a final order of forfeiture in favour of the EFCC.
Zubair, through his legal counsel, Dr. Adeola Omotunde, SAN, is asking the appellate court to set aside the ruling, citing grave procedural irregularities and alleged disobedience of court orders by the EFCC.
Omotunde said, “The appellant’s major contention is that the EFCC failed to comply with a crucial condition attached to the interim forfeiture order made by the lower court on November 19, 2024, which mandated the commission to publish a notice of forfeiture in The Nation newspaper.
“The failure to comply with this order, according to the appeal, renders the entire forfeiture proceedings null and void”
