Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Lagos, has issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Emmanuel Oku, one of the ten defendants charged with defrauding Dangote Industries Limited of N739,735,248.00 million.
The arrest warrant was issued on Friday at the request of prosecutor Barrister M.Y. Bello, who informed the court that Oku had failed to attend trial despite being granted bail.
The defendants, including Oku, were charged by operatives of the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Ikoyi, Lagos, for alleged fraudulent activities related to the diversion of Automotive Gasoline Oil (AGO) contracted by Dangote Transporters between January 2022 and June 2023.
The other nine defendants facing trial are: Ikechukwu Kingsley Obit, Chigozie Chrisogonus Osukwu, Ukaegbu Rex Chukwuma, Umeh John Paul Ugochukwu, Akamadu Emmanuella (female), Zango Mohammed Umar, Shaibu Aichael, Luck Otoide, and Mmaduabushi Okezuoni.
The defendants are accused of conspiracy and fraudulently receiving payments from Dangote Transporters, who were contracted to transport AGO from Dangote depots to the Ibese and Obajana plants.
During Friday’s proceedings, Justice Dipeolu noted the absence of some defendants and adjourned the re-arraignment.
Prosecutor then requested a short adjournment and urged the court to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of the absent seventh defendant, Emmanuel Oku.
Justice Dipeolu granted the request, issuing the bench warrant for Oku’s arrest, and adjourned the matter for re-arraignment and continuation of trial on February 25 and 27, 2025.
The defendants face 11 counts of conspiracy and money laundering, detailed as follows: “Conspiracy and Fraudulent Receipt of Funds: The defendants are accused of conspiring to fraudulently receive payments from Dangote Transporters, knowing the funds were proceeds of crime.
Each defendant faces specific charges related to their receipt of funds, including Ikechukwu Kingsley Obit, who allegedly received N85,895,000; Chigozie Osukwu, who allegedly received N88,075,375; and others who allegedly received varying sums totaling millions of Naira.
Each defendant faces charges under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, with penalties under Section 18(3) of the same Act.
