Court Sets May 12 for Big Showdown in Alleged N19bn Fraud Case

A Federal High Court in Lagos has set aside May 12, 2025, for a major hearing in a high-stakes legal battle involving a jaw-dropping ₦19 billion fraud case. Yep, you read that right ₦19 billion!

So, what’s cooking? The Attorney General of the Federation has dragged a new-generation bank and three others to court over claims that they converted billions of naira from a company’s bank account. The defendants in this case include the bank itself, its big boss Victor Ukutt, and one Whoba Ugwunna Ogo, who, by the way, is currently nowhere to be found.

Things got heated during the last session. Superstar lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), who represents the first and fourth defendants, told the court that they had filed a preliminary objection and handed it over to the prosecution.

But hold up! Prosecution lawyer Chelsasy Emezina wasn’t having it. She argued that the defendants haven’t even been arraigned yet, so any motion should wait. She backed it up with legal firepower, quoting Sections 221, 396(1), and 382(5) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and a previous ruling in the Onnoghen case.

However, the judge, Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa, wasn’t ready to play favorites. He pointed out there’s a difference between challenging a court’s authority and complaining about a faulty charge. So, he asked both sides to submit their arguments on which motion should come first. Plot twist!

The Federal Government has filed eight serious charges against the defendants, including conspiracy, fraud, money laundering, forgery, and more. According to the prosecution, between 2011 and 2023, the defendants allegedly siphoned ₦19 billion from the account of Woobs Resources Limited. They claim the cash was illegally moved through shady means.

Oh, and there’s more! The government wants a bench warrant issued for Ogo, the fourth defendant, because he’s apparently MIA. But Falana shut that down, saying the man is abroad for medical reasons and hasn’t even been served court papers.

The defense squad isn’t backing down. They’ve filed a motion asking the court to throw out the case, claiming there’s no jurisdiction and that the charges are an abuse of the court process. They also pointed out that there’s already a case before the Court of Appeal over a shareholder dispute in Woobs Resources Limited, which is the real beef behind all this drama.

In fact, they’ve asked the court to put everything on pause until the appeal case, CA/L/343/2020, is sorted out. According to them, this whole mess started because of a Joint Venture Agreement gone sour between Ogo and the complainant, James Onyemenam.

All eyes are now on May 12, 2025, when the court will decide whether to tackle the preliminary objection first or move straight to arraignment. One thing’s for sure: the ₦19bn fraud case is shaping up to be a legal blockbuster.

Stay tuned, because we’ll be bringing you the freshest updates and inside gist as they happen. You don’t want to miss how this courtroom drama plays out!