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Police drop N1.3bn fraud charges against Obanikoro’s son, others
The police have dropped the N1.3bn fraud charges they filed against Gbolahan Obanikoro, son of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, and four others.
The decision was communicated to the Federal High Court in Lagos via a Notice of Withdrawal filed under Section 108(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
In the document, dated February 4, 2025, and signed by Chief Superintendent of Police Justin Enang, and sighted by our correspondent, the police did not specify the reason for the withdrawal of the charges marked FHC/L/902c/2024.
The document read: “Take notice that the prosecution hereby withdraws the above-mentioned charge against the defendants herein.”
The police had charged the defendants with five counts, bordering on conspiracy, obtaining by false pretenses, false representation, and fraud.
Listed alongside Obanikoro as defendants are Adejare Adegbenro, 51; Balmoral International Limited; M.O.B. Integrated Limited; and DDSS International Company Limited.
In the charge, marked FHC/L/902c/2024, the police accused the defendants of conspiracy, obtaining money under false pretenses, and fraud involving the sum of N1,356,057,330.43.
The Inspector General of Police, through the Special Fraud Unit in Ikoyi, Lagos, accused the defendants and others at large of conspiring amongst themselves between May and September 2013 to fraudulently obtain the sum of N1,356,057,330.43 from Access Bank Plc (formerly Diamond Bank).
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They were accused of allegedly misrepresenting themselves to the bank’s staff and officers, claiming they were involved in the business of importing cars from Dubai for sale in Nigeria, and that the money was needed to finance the importation of a set of brand-new cars for resale.
The defendants were also accused of converting, transferring, retaining, or taking possession of the funds, knowing or having reason to know that such funds were proceeds of unlawful activity.
Additionally, the police alleged that they unlawfully converted N1 billion of the bank’s funds for personal use.
The defendants were originally scheduled to be arraigned on January 26, 2025, before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa.
The arraignment could, however, not go on as the defendants were absent from court.
Though the prosecutor, Momoh Bello, applied for a bench warrant against them, counsel for the fourth defendant ( M.O.B. Integrated Limited), Joshua Abel, opposed the prayer.
The judge later rescheduled the arraignment to February 27, 2025.
Meanwhile, our correspondent gathered on Thursday that the hearing to officially strike out the case could take place today (Friday).
According to him, such financial mishandling not only disrupts critical public services and projects but also results in major losses to the nation’s purse—resources that could have been channelled into crucial services and developmental efforts, as laid out in Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution.
Speaker Abbas, thereafter setup a Special Committee to be chaired by Rep. Chinedu Martins to immediately launch a probe into the “Utilisation of take-off grants, bailout funds, and interventions allocated to MDAs, government institutions, and GOEs from 2015 to present.”
The FCT Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, expressed satisfaction with the progress on the Abuja light rail project, reaffirming its May 29 delivery as sacrosanct.
He made these assurances after inspecting the ongoing construction of access roads to the train stations on Wednesday, from Metro Train Station in the Central Area to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Reassuring journalists accompanying him, the minister reiterated that President Bola Tinubu would commission the rail project on May 29 to mark his second year in office.
The visited stations were Wupa station near Idu and Bassanjiwa station near the airport.
“This is part of our routine inspection of ongoing projects to see the contractors’ progress,” Wike explained.
“We are working day and night to fulfill our promise to President Tinubu and FCT residents. By May, Mr. President will ride on the Metro line.”
Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen are currently invading some communities in the Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State.
According to sources, the herdsmen armed with AK-47 rifles stormed the community around 04:15pm on Thursday.
“Our lives are in danger this evening, armed Fulani herdsmen, about 600 in numbers have taken over our communities this evening,” a resident told SaharaReporters.
“They’re currently moving around towns in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue state. No security personnel at all, Governor Alia didn’t send security, they said operation will start soon once they (herders) have observed the place.”
The insecurity situation in Benue has been alarming in recent weeks with attacks from gunmen suspected to be herdsmen.
The media had reported that suspected herdsmen again unleashed terror in Benue State, attacking three communities in Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) on Wednesday, just a day after 11 people were killed in a deadly raid on Otobi community.
The latest victims of the escalating violence were Emichi, Odudaje, and Okpamaju, communities that had previously suffered an attack in February, which left five people dead.
However, the renewed attack has created fear and mass displacement among residents, with women and children fleeing to safety.
Local sources say the death toll from the fresh attack remains unclear, but several casualties are feared.
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