Court orders remand of oil marketer over alleged N4.4b fraud

Justice Mojisola Dada of a Lagos Special Offences Court, Ikeja has ordered the remand of an oil marketer, Florence Onojame in Ikoyi Correctional Centre over alleged N4.4 billion fraud.

The judge ordered her remand together with her company, Emee Oil & Gas Nigeria Limited following arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The EFCC alleged that the defendants with others at large conspired to defraud Access Bank Plc. the sum of N4,380,100,000, a sum she fraudulently transferred via Primusplus, an electronic banking platform of Access Bank and further transferred the said sum to other accounts domiciled with the bank.
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The anti-graft agency stated that Onojame conspired with Chris Nnaji (convicted), Captain Robert Aboh, Emenike Vincent Ebulu and Nuhu Amanabo (who were at large), sometime in February 2022 to commit the alleged offence.

EFCC said Emee Oil & Gas Nigeria Limited allegedly retained the sum of N100,000,000 in its Access Bank account and transferred it from the Total Energy Nigeria Limited Corporation account, which she knew to be the proceeds of criminal activities.

The prosecution said their offences are contrary to the provision of section 409, 278, 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011 and punishable under the same law.

She, however, pleaded not guilty to the three counts charge read to her.

Following her plea, the prosecution counsel, Mr Fatai Mohammed prayed the court for a trial date and asked that the defendant be remanded at the Nigerian Correctional Centre.

The defendant counsel, Williams Onate, however informed the court that a bail application for his client had been filed and also served on the prosecution.

“We will be praying for a short adjournment for the hearing of the bail application and that the defendant be ordered to remain in the custody of the EFCC,” he prayed.

But Justice Dada declined his request, ordered that the defendant be remanded in Ikoyi Correctional Facility and subsequently adjourned to October 10, 2023 for hearing of the bail application.
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