The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned Enugu-based lawyer, Benjamin Nwobodo, before Justice F. O. Giwa-Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court in Enugu. He faces five charges related to forgery and obtaining ₦12 million under false pretenses.
According to a statement from EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, Nwobodo pleaded not guilty to the charges. One of the counts accuses him of defrauding Wilson Ikeani Igwe of ₦9 million on January 15, 2014, by falsely claiming to sell three plots of land in Emene, Enugu. Another charge involves a ₦3 million fraud on December 15, 2014, for a similar false land sale.
Following the plea, EFCC counsel CSE Chikezie Raymond Edozie requested a trial date and asked for Nwobodo to be remanded in Enugu State Correctional Facility. Nwobodo, representing himself, applied for bail, which the court granted under specific conditions: two sureties, each responsible for ₦25 million, one with landed property in Enugu, and the other a blood relative with three years of tax clearance.
Both sureties must submit an affidavit of means, and the EFCC will verify their details within seven days. Nwobodo is also required to surrender his international passport to the Deputy Court Registrar. If he fails to meet the bail conditions within 10 days, the EFCC will arrest him.
The case is scheduled for trial on May 13 and 14, 2025.
