M.J. NUMA & Partners LLP, acting as legal counsel to Mr Wilson Opuwei, has issued a formal public statement, addressing recent media publications attributed to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which have created misleading and prejudicial impressions regarding Opuwei’s professional integrity and the true legal character of a matter currently pending before a court of competent jurisdiction.
 
According to the statement signed by Michael Johnthan Numa, on behalf of M.J. Numa & Partners LLP, the High Court of Lagos State, presided over by Justice L. A. Akapo (as he then was, before his elevation to the Court of Appeal), made a clear, reasoned, and unequivocal finding that the subject matter of the dispute in the Suit No: LD/62455GCMW/2024 in Prince Donatus Okonkwo v. Wilson Opuwei& Dateline Energy Services Limited, Is purely civil in nature, borders on a claim for money had and received, and does not disclose any criminal offence whatsoever.
 
“This matter has been judicially determined to be civil in character, not criminal in nature, and it is imperative that public discourse aligns with the clear and subsisting ruling of the court rather than speculative or sensational narratives,” said Michael Johnthan Numa of M.J. Numa & Partners LLP.

The judicial pronouncement affirms a settled and fundamental principle of law: that disputes arising from commercial engagements, investment arrangements, or stalled business transactions are properly resolved through civil adjudication and commercial remedies—not criminal enforcement mechanisms.
 
Mr Opuwei currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Dateline Energy Services Limited (DESL) and holds directorship positions across a group of affiliated entities actively engaged in strategic energy development initiatives within Nigeria’s hydrocarbons and infrastructure sectors.
 
Despite the subsisting judicial determination on its civil character, certain media publications have emerged attributed to or associated with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), portraying the matter as involving fraud or criminal wrongdoing.