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Court convicts ex-NHIS boss Femi Thomas and BDC operation for $2,198,900 fraud in Lagos

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Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Thursday, July, 24, 2025, convicted the duo of Dr. Olufemi Martins Thomas, a former Executive Secretary, National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, and one Kabiru Sidi, a Bureau De Change Operator, for $2,198,900.00 ( Two million, One Hundred and Ninety Eight Thousand, Nine Hundred United States Dollars) fraud.

Thomas was arraigned alongside Sidi on an amended seven-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of $2,198,900.00 brought against them by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Six of the counts against Thomas bordered on money laundering and transferring, in cash, proceeds of unlawful activities, contrary to the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended.

The second defendant, however, was prosecuted only on count six bordering on making false statements to an official of the EFCC.

The charge against Thomas reads: “That you, Dr. Martins Oluwafemi Thomas (a.k.a Dr. Ike), the former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, on or about the 3rd of July, 2015 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, procured Mrs. Femi Thomas to disguise the unlawful origin of the sum of $2, 198, 900 (Two million, One Hundred and Ninety-eight Thousand, Nine Hundred United States Dollars) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 and punishable under Section 15(2) (a) and (3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012).”

The charge against Kabiru reads: That you, Kabiru Sidi on or about the 15th of July, 2015 at the office of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, 15 A Awolowo Road, Ikoyi Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court made a false statement to Afeez Mustapha, an investigating officer with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commissionto the effect that you gave over Two Million United States dollars to Bamidele Ibiteye and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 39(2) (b) and punishable under Section 39(2) (c) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004.”

They pleaded “not guilty” to the charge, thereby leading to their full trial.

At the last adjourned sitting on Thursday, May 29, 2025, the prosecution counsel, Ekele Iheanacho SAN, in his final written addresses, dated May 5 and 9, 2025, submitted that “In line with the charge, the prosecution called six witnesses, and the defendant made a no-case submission, which was overruled and overruled by the Appellate Court on the grounds that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against the defendant.

“The defendant entered his defence because the law required him to show how he acquired the funds legitimately. Part of his evidence was that he made the funds heavily from his farming businesses. The evidence of his farming was contained in his financial statement.

While closing his argument, he had also submitted that “This is a case of money laundering, where the issue of concealment of transaction is paramount and that is why the law requires such transactions to go through financial institutions so that there will be a trial. Any application that suggests otherwise will defeat the basis of Section 1 of the Money Laundering Act”.

He had, therefore, urged the court to discountenance the submissions of the first and second defendants and convict them as charged.

Delivering judgment today, Justice Ayokunle Faji ruled that the anti-graft agency failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the allegations of conspiracy, unlawful enrichment, and making false statements contained in counts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 of the amended charge.

However, Dr Thomas was convicted on count five, relating to a cash transaction exceeding the N5 million threshold allowed by law for individual cash dealings.

Justice Faji held that the EFCC did not adequately investigate claims made by the defendant during the trial and failed to establish that the funds in question were proceeds of unlawful enrichment.

“The transaction in count five is only above the N5 million threshold. There is no proof it was from the proceeds of crime,” the judge ruled.

Consequently, the court ordered the EFCC to return within 14 days all funds previously seized from Dr Thomas, stating that the agency had no legal basis to continue holding the money.

However, the release is contingent upon Thomas paying a N10 million fine imposed as a penalty for the single count on which he was convicted. He was also barred from travelling outside the country until the fine was fully paid.

The second defendant, Sidi, was found guilty of making a false statement to an investigating officer with the EFCC and sentenced to a fine of N100,000.00

Justice Faji, however, discharged Thomas on counts one, two, three, four and seven of the charge.

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Crime

Imo police burst child trafficking syndicates, rescues victims

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1 hour ago

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August 22, 2025

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Operatives of the Imo State Police Command have uncovered two separate child trafficking cases, arrested the suspects involved, and rescued two children from the hands of traffickers.

According to the police, on August 12, operatives of the Command, while on routine stop and search along the Owerri–Port Harcourt Road, intercepted a couple identified as 46-year-old Ezekwere Ngozi ‘F’ of Udi LGA, Enugu State, resident in Abuja, and her husband 43-year-old Monday Atodo ‘M’ of Ofu LGA, Kogi State, resident in Kogi State.

They were found with a four-year-old boy, Isaiah (surname unknown), whom they falsely claimed was their biological child.

‘’Interrogation revealed that the child was stolen in Kogi State by one Blessing Ogwo and handed over in Abuja to Ngozi, whose role was to deliver trafficked children to buyers. Further investigation uncovered the syndicate’s mastermind, 56-year-old Ogochukwu Chikwelu ‘f’, of Nimo, Anambra State, and resident in Abuja, who operates St. Theresa’s Orphanage at Apo Street, Lokogoma. She was tracked, arrested in Abuja through a joint operation with the State CID, and transferred to Owerri for further investigation and prosecution.”

Okoye mentioned that the rescued child is safe, and efforts are ongoing to reunite him with his biological parents, as the command calls on members of the public with useful information to assist in this regard. The command is also intensifying efforts to apprehend other members of the syndicate still at large.

Similarly, on July 16, operatives of the Command, acting on credible intelligence, arrested one Precious Okoh, 29, of Nkanu-East LGA, Enugu State, at Umuguma Housing Area, Owerri, with a 9-year-old girl, Promise Christopher. She confessed that the child was stolen from Igbogene, Bayelsa State, and brought to Owerri for sale. The operatives traced the parents to Bayelsa, and the child has since been reunited with her parent.

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Crime

PHOTOS: EFCC declares Atiku’s Son-in-law wanted over alleged money laundering

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1 hour ago

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August 22, 2025

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared a businessman and son-in-law of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Abdullahi Bashir Haske, wanted over an alleged case of criminal conspiracy and money laundering.

In a notice issued by the commission’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the EFCC urged members of the public with helpful information about Haske’s whereabouts to report to the nearest police station or any of the commission’s offices nationwide.

“The public is hereby notified that ABDULLAHI BASHIR HASKE, whose photograph appears above, is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in an alleged case of Criminal Conspiracy and Money Laundering.”

Haske, 38, whose photograph was released by the anti-graft agency, was last known to reside at No. 6 Mosley Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, and 952/953 Idejo Street, Victoria Island, Lagos State.

The EFCC appealed to Nigerians to assist in tracking him down by providing credible information through its offices in major cities, including Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Ilorin, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt, and Abuja.

They noted that useful information about his thereabouts could be shared via the commission’s telephone line, or email address.

See the notice below

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Crime

PHOTOS: 14 children ‘trafficked from Adamawa and sold for N800,000 each in Anambra’ are rescued

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12 hours ago

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August 21, 2025

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14 children trafficked from Adamawa State and sold in Anambra State for amounts ranging from N800,000 to N1.7 million have been rescued by Adamawa State Government.

On Wednesday, August 20, the Adamawa State government reunited the rescued children with their parents at a ceremony in Yola, the Adamawa state capital.

Speaking during the ceremony, Kaletapwa George Farauta, Adamawa deputy governor, said after numerous reports of missing children in July, the government set up a joint operation with security agencies to unravel the situation.

Farauta said the operation led to the arrest of one Ngozi Abdulwahab, a suspected trafficking kingpin, who operates a small provision shop in Jambutu Ward, Yola north LGA.

The deputy governor said the suspect reportedly used snacks and gifts to lure children between the ages of 4-9 before trafficking them to Anambra.

14 children ?trafficked from Adamawa and sold for N800,000 each in Anambra? are rescued

“It is a mixed feeling of sadness and joy, it is sad that today, Adamawa is on the map of an unfortunate monster ravaging the nation, the monster of child trafficking,” she said.

“This is a story we often hear happening far away, but unfortunately, it has caught up with us.

“This notorious trafficker has perfected the art of trafficking minors aged four to nine years from various communities in Adamawa to the south-eastern region of Nigeria.

“There, she sold the victims for paltry sums ranging from N800,000 to N1.7 million per child.

“She operated from a small provision shop which she owned at Jambutu ward, Yola-North LGA, where she used snacks and gifts to lure unsuspecting children.

“Today, we have rescued 14 children and rehabilitated them.”

The deputy governor said the suspects would be prosecuted under the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015, Adamawa Child Protection Law (2008), the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law 2021, and the Penal Code of the state.

She added that the family of each rescued child would receive N100,000, food, and non-food items.

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