Crime

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

Published

2 months ago

July 24, 2025

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

PHOTOS: EFCC arraigns Kaduna PDP Reps candidate and one other for N26m money laundering, vote buying in Abuja

Published

7 hours ago

September 11, 2025

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

The Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, arraigned one Esther Ashivelli Dawaki and Shehu Aliyu Fatange before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja for financial crimes.

Ms Dawaki was the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representatives candidate for Chikun/Kajuru in the bye election held in August.

The opposition party had earlier accused security operatives of ‘abducting’ Ms Dawaki.

According to the commission, Dawaki and Fatange are facing prosecution on a five-count charge, bordering on accepting and making cash payments in excess of the amount authorised by law, conspiracy and money laundering to the tune of N26 million (Twenty Six million Naira).

Count one of the charge reads: “That you, Esther Ashivilli Dawaki (F) and other, now at large on or about 16th of August, 2025 at Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did procure one Shehu Aliyu Fatange (M) to commit an offence to wit: accepting cash payment of the sum of N26,000,000.00 (Twenty-six Million Naira, only), without going through a financial institution, which sum exceeded the amount authorised by the law and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 21(C )(a) and 19(1)(d) of Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 19(2)(b) of the same Act.”

Another charge reads: “That you, Shehu Aliyu Fatange (M) on or about the 16th of August, 2025 at Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did accept cash payment of the sum of N26,000,000.00 (Two-Six Million Naira, only), which exceeds the amount authorised by the law to one Esther Ashivelli dawaki (F) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 2(1)(a) and 19(1)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition)Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 19(2)(b) of the same Act.”

They both pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, following which prosecution counsel, M. O, Arumemi asked the court for a trial date and for the defendants to be remanded in a correctional centre.

While counsel to the defendants, E. N. Ogbu and A.A. Ashat had no objections, they made oral applications for their bail. They asked for a short adjournment as well as for the defendants to be remanded in EFCC’s holding facility, pending determination of the bail applications.

Justice Nwite ordered for the remand of Dawaki, the first defendant in the Suleja Correctional Center, while he ordered that Fatange, the second defendant be remanded in Kuje Correctional Center and adjourned the matter till Monday, September 15, 2025 for the hearing of the bail application.

The suspects were arrested on August 16, 2025, following credible intelligence that exposed them to have possessed the sum of N26,463,000.00 (Twenty-six Million Four Hundred and Sixty-three Thousand Naira), which they kept inside a Toyota Corolla 2010 model, belonging to Shehu and packed within a hotel premises in Kaduna.

While Fatange upon arrest, identified himself as the director general of the campaign office of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP flag-bearer in the the Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency bye-election which held on the same August 16, 2025, the sum was suspected to have been earmarked for vote buying in the said election.

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Crime

Police arrest self-acclaimed Obi of Lagos

Published

7 hours ago

September 11, 2025

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

The Lagos State Police Command today, Wednesday , September 10, arrested a self-acclaimed traditional ruler who paraded himself as the “Obi of Lagos” along with three others thereby “foiling their attempt to mislead the public through an unlawful installation ceremony.”

In a statement released, the deputy spokesperson of the Lagos state police command, DSP Babaseyi Oluseyi, said the principal suspect, Engr. Chibuike Azubike ‘m’, aged 65 years, an indigene of Obodoukwu Ancient Kingdom, Ideato North LGA of Imo State, was arrested alongside three co-conspirators: Chief Chibuzor Ani ‘m’, aged 57 years; Chief Martins Nwaodika ‘m’, aged 65 years; and Mr. Ikechukwu Franklin Nnadi ‘m’, aged 41 years.

Oluseyi said all four suspects are presently in custody at the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja.

According to Oluseyi, intelligence available to the command indicated that the group had finalized arrangements to unveil a prototype of a purported N1.5 billion “Palace of Obi of Lagos State” on Saturday, September 13, 2025, at Apple Hall, Amuwo Odofin.

‘’Acting on this information, the police promptly sealed off the venue in order to forestall any breach of the peace and to protect unsuspecting members of the public from being misled.

In furtherance of this preventive action, the Command deployed adequate manpower, including conventional police operatives, Eko Strike Force teams, and other tactical squads, to the premises earmarked for the ceremony. Their presence was to guarantee that the event did not hold as planned and to ensure that public order and peace within the area were not compromised.

The police imagemaker added that the suspects are currently in detention and investigation is progressing into their nefarious activities. He mentioned that the outcome of the investigation will be made public, and they will be charged to court accordingly.

His arrest comes after an Osun-based monarch vowed to file a petition over Azubuike parading himself as a monarch in Lagos.

In a telephone chat with LIB, Azubuike however argued that he is not the Obi of Lagos but the Obi of Ndi Igbos in Lagos.

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Post Views: 46

Crime

Police arrest over 80 suspects, recover guns in Delta

Published

24 hours ago

September 10, 2025

Newsbreak365_Admin

Over 80 suspected criminals have been arrested by the Delta State Police Command for various crimes in the last month.

Addressing journalists on Wednesday at the Command’s headquarters in Asaba, the Commissioner of Police, Delta State, CP Abaniwonda Olufemi, said the ongoing war against crimes in the state is paying off following the Command’s achievement in the one month.

Olufemi assured all Deltans to sleep with their two eyes closed, as the ongoing intelligence-led operations would further clamp down on criminal networks across the state.

Olufemi stated, “Deltans can attest to the fact that in recent times, the state has become very hot for criminals. The command under my watch will not relent in this mandate and will continue to go after criminally minded individuals to ensure they are arrested and brought to justice.

“There are multiple armed robbery operations across Asaba, Ughelli, Ogwashi-Uku, and other communities, which led to the arrest of the Suspects and recovery of weapons, including pump-action rifles, Beretta pistols, and double-barreled guns.

“Stolen items such as motorcycles, vehicles, laptops, phones, and household electronics were also recovered. We recovered 31 firearms, 86 rounds of ammunition and cartridges, as well as dozens of stolen vehicles, laptops, and mobile phones within the month of August 2025.”

The police boss also hinted that a 35-year-old man from Edo state was arrested while attempting to sell the vehicles for N2 million each and in Ughelli, operatives apprehended a 52-year-old woman, described as a major drug dealer, along with her apprentices.