The Nigeria Police Force has officially withdrawn the criminal charge against Mr. Gbolahan Obanikoro and four others in connection with an alleged N1.3 billion fraud involving Access Bank Plc.
Obanikoro, alongside Adejare Adegbenro; Balmoral International Limited; M.O.B. Integrated Limited; and DDSS International Company Limited, had been scheduled for arraignment on February 27 before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos.
A notice of withdrawal filed under Section 108(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, stated, “Take notice that the prosecution hereby withdraws the above-mentioned charge against the defendants herein.” The document, dated February 4, was signed by Chief Superintendent of Police, J.I. Enang.
No reason was provided for the withdrawal of the charges.
The defendants were accused of conspiracy, obtaining by false pretenses, and involvement in fraudulent activities amounting to N1,356,057,330.43. According to the Special Fraud Unit, they allegedly conspired between May and September 2013 to fraudulently obtain the sum from Access Bank Plc, formerly Diamond Bank.
The police alleged that the defendants misrepresented themselves as auto dealers importing cars from Dubai and sought the funds to finance the importation of brand-new vehicles for resale. They were also accused of unlawfully converting N1 billion of the bank’s money for personal use.
During the last hearing, the prosecutor, M.Y. Bello, informed the court that the case was scheduled for the arraignment of all defendants. However, he requested an adjournment to ensure all defendants were present in court to take their pleas.
Counsel for the fourth defendant, Joshua Abel, noted that most of the defendants, who were company directors, were not in the country.
He added that only the companies named in the charge had been served with the charge sheet but assured the court that all defendants would be available for the next hearing.
Following these submissions, Justice Lewis-Allagoa adjourned the matter to February 27 for arraignment. However, there are indications that the case could be struck out as early as Friday.
