An Ikeja Special Offences Court has discharged Lionstone Company Limited from an alleged $4.6 million fraud case involving Amaechi Ndili, his wife, Njude (Chizoba) Ndili, and their firm, Lionstone Offshore Services Limited.
The Ndilis are the 1st and 2nd defendants, while Lionstone Offshore Services Limited is the 3rd defendant. Lionstone Company Limited, which was listed as the 4th defendant, was struck out of the charge by Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe.
This followed an application filed and argued by counsel to Lionstone Company, Mr Yinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN). Olumide-Fusika had urged the court to hear his client’s pending application dated April 4, 2025, and argued that there was no basis for the company to remain on the charge sheet, since it was never involved in the contractual arrangement that gave rise to the allegations.
He also pointed out that the prosecution of the 4th defendant was invalid as the initial prosecutor, ACP Simon Lough (SAN), was no longer a serving police officer at the time. He stressed that only a serving police legal officer is empowered by law to prosecute such matters.
The new prosecutor, Prof Yusuf Ali (SAN), and the other defence counsel, Ebun Shofunde (SAN), did not oppose the application. Consequently, Justice Abike-Fadipe granted the request and struck out Lionstone Company Limited from the charge.
During cross-examination of the third prosecution witness, the investigating officer, Inspector Friday Shaibu, confirmed that payments were made to Lionstone Offshore Services Limited under a bridging agreement between it and Hercules Offshore Nigeria Limited.
However, he denied knowledge of invoices issued by Lionstone to Addax Petroleum Development Nigeria Limited, noting that the police investigation was limited to the criminal aspects of the case.
The substantive case continues against the Ndilis and Lionstone Offshore Services Limited, who are accused of conspiring to fraudulently convert $4,666,234.28 belonging to Hercules Offshore Nigeria Limited.
The prosecution had alleged that Addax Petroleum made payments into the account of Lionstone Offshore Services for contracts executed on behalf of Hercules, but the funds were not remitted as agreed. The defendants have pleaded not guilty, and the case was adjourned for continuation of the trial to December 9, 2025.
