A Federal High Court in Lagos has scheduled the arraignment of Gbolahan Obanikoro, the son of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, along with four others, for February 27, 2025, in connection with an alleged fraud of ₦1.356 billion.
The other defendants include 51-year-old Adejare Adegbenro, Balmoral International Limited, M.O.B. Integrated Limited, and DDSS International Company Limited.
They face five charges related to conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretenses, false representation, and fraud. Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa set this new date on January 24 after the defendants failed to appear for their previously scheduled arraignment.During the proceedings, prosecution counsel Momoh Bello requested a bench warrant for the defendants, stating that they had been served with notices. However, Joshua Abel, counsel for the fourth defendant, contested this request, explaining that his client, a company, received the service late and that its directors, currently overseas, had not been properly informed.Justice Lewis-Allagoa reviewed the proof of service and determined that the first and second defendants, who are individuals, had not been adequately served.
While there was evidence of proper service for the third and fourth defendants, the court instructed the prosecution to regularize the service for the remaining parties.
The Inspector General of Police, through the Special Fraud Unit in Ikoyi, Lagos, alleges that the defendants, along with others still at large, conspired between May and September 2013 to fraudulently acquire ₦1.356 billion from Access Bank Plc (formerly Diamond Bank).According to police claims, the defendants misrepresented themselves as importers of cars from Dubai, asserting that the funds were necessary to facilitate the importation of new vehicles for resale.
It is alleged that they converted and used the money for personal purposes, aware that the funds originated from unlawful activities.
These alleged offenses violate Section 8(i)(a) and are punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offenses Act, No. 14 of 2006, as well as Sections 18(2)(b) and (d) and 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
