The Federal High Court in Lagos has scheduled the arraignment of Gbolahan Obanikoro, the son of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, and four others for alleged involvement in a N1,356,057,330.43 fraud case. The arraignment will take place on February 27, 2025, as the defendants failed to appear in court for their scheduled hearing on Friday.
The defendants, including Adejare Adegbenro, 51; Balmoral International Limited; M.O.B. Integrated Limited; and DDSS International Company Limited, are facing charges of conspiracy, obtaining by false pretenses, false representation, and fraud.
The prosecution counsel, Momoh Bello, informed the court that the defendants had been served but failed to attend the scheduled arraignment. In light of their absence, Bello requested a bench warrant to compel their appearance. However, Joshua Abel, representing M.O.B. Integrated Limited, opposed the bench warrant, citing that his client received the service notice late and that some of the company’s directors were not in the country.
Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa responded by requesting proof of service, particularly for the first and second defendants, and directed the prosecution to regularize the service to ensure compliance with the law.
The case centers around allegations that the defendants conspired to fraudulently obtain the sum of over N1.35 billion from Access Bank (formerly Diamond Bank) between May and September 2013. The police accuse the defendants of misrepresenting themselves to the bank, claiming they were importing cars from Dubai for resale in Nigeria, and misusing the funds for personal gain.
The charges against them violate multiple sections of the Advance Fee Fraud and Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Acts, with penalties including imprisonment.
As the case progresses, the court will reconvene on February 27, 2025, to formally arraign the defendants and proceed with the trial.
