Nigerian police drop ₦1.3b fraud charges against son of top Lagos GAC member & four others

• The Nigeria Police Force has dropped fraud charges against Senator Musiliu Obanikoro’s son, Gbolahan Obanikoro, along with four other defendants.

• Former Minister and key member of the Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) Governance Advisory Council, Senator Obanikoro, is an ally of President Bola Tinubu.

• The charges were officially communicated to the Federal High Court in Lagos through a Notice of Withdrawal, filed under Section 108(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.

The Nigeria Police Force has officially withdrawn the ₦1.3 billion fraud charges against Gbolahan Obanikoro, the son of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, as well as four other co-defendants.

Reports indicate that Senator Obanikoro, who previously served as a Minister, is a prominent member of the Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) Governance Advisory Council (GAC) and a supporter of President Bola Tinubu.

The formal notice of withdrawal was submitted to the Federal High Court in Lagos, in accordance with Section 108(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.

Dated February 4, 2025, the document was signed by Chief Superintendent of Police Justin Enang; however, it did not provide any rationale for the decision to dismiss the case (referenced as FHC/L/902c/2024). The notice simply stated: “Take notice that the prosecution hereby withdraws the above-mentioned charge against the defendants herein.”

Fraud Allegations and Legal Proceedings

The Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigeria Police Force, representing the Inspector General of Police, initially brought forth a five-count indictment against thedefendant, which includes:

• Conspiracy
• Obtaining money by false pretenses
• False representation
• Fraud and money laundering

The prosecution claimed that from May to September 2013, the defendants engaged in a conspiracy to fraudulently acquire ₦1,356,057,330.43 from Access Bank Plc (formerly known as Diamond Bank) through deceptive means. They allegedly misrepresented their activities to the bank, asserting that they were involved in the importation of vehicles from Dubai and were seeking financial assistance to purchase new cars for resale.

Furthermore, the defendants faced accusations of:

• Converting, transferring, and retaining funds they allegedly knew were proceeds of unlawful activity.

• Unlawfully diverting ₦1 billion of the bank’s funds for personal use.

The defendants were originally set to be arraigned on January 26, 2025, before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa, but they did not appear in court. The prosecution, represented by Momoh Bello, requested a bench warrant to ensure their presence; however, Joshua Abel, the attorney for the fourth defendant (M.O.B. Integrated Limited), contested this request. As a result, the judge postponed the arraignment to February 27, 2025.

After the police withdrew the charges, sources informed The PUNCH that the court might consider a motion to dismiss the case as early as today (Friday).