News

Court orders EFCC to unfreeze Dokpesi’s account

Published

4 years ago

August 3, 2021

The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho on Tuesday in Abuja, issued an order unfreezing the bank account of the Chairman of Daar Communications Plc, Raymond Dokpesi.

Justice Tsoho gave the order while delivering a ruling on Dokpesi’s application argued by Kanu Agabi, SAN.

The judge ordered that the account domiciled at First Bank be immediately ‘unfrozen’ since the criminal charges which precipitated the restriction on the account had been dismissed and Mr Dokpesi discharged and acquitted by the Court of Appeal.

The judge said that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had no basis to put a post no debit order on the account in view of the subsisting and valid judgment of the Court of Appeal.

He held that there was no application by the EFCC for stay of execution of the appellate court’s judgment which quashed the criminal charges against Mr Dokpesi.

Justice Tsoho said that in the absence of a stay of execution, the court was bound by law to recognise the judgment of the appellate court.

He ordered that the freeze order and post no debit on the account be immediately removed in compliance with the appellate court’s judgment.

Ruling on the claim by the EFCC that it had appealed the appellate court’s decision at the Supreme Court, the judge held that the notice of appeal filed at the apex court could not in law stay the execution of the subsisting judgment .

He added that the anti-graft agency ought to have obtained a stay of execution of the judgment.

He further ordered that all documents seized from Dokpesi should be immediately returned to him.

Mr Agabi, while making arguments in support of the application, prayed the court to issue an order unfreezing Dokpesi’s bank account frozen on the strength of the alleged N2.1 billion fraud charge against him.

The senior lawyer had submitted that the criminal charges in respect of N2.1 billion had since been dismissed by the Court of Appeal Abuja division but the EFCC wanted to continue to hold his client in bondage.

Mr Agabi had further argued that the charge which led to freezing of the account no longer existed following the decision of the appellate court on the matter.

He had tendered two judgements of the Court of Appeal to establish his claim that the criminal charges against Dokpesi had been quashed.

He held that until the judgments were set aside the EFCC could not continue to freeze his client’s account.

However, EFCC counsel, Oluwaleke Atolagbe had opposed the application on the grounds that the anti- graft agency had already filled a notice of appeal against the appellate court’s judgment at the apex court.

Mr Atolagbe had urged the court not to unfreeze the account yet until the final decision of the Supreme Court in the matter adding that the N2.1 billion logged in the frozen account formed the basis of the charge.

He also opposed to the request for the release of Dokpesi’s document in possession of EFCC on the grounds that no specific document was mentioned in the request.

On April 1, a three-member panel of the Appeal Court in a unanimous judgment freed Dokpesi from the charges after it held that the prosecution failed to establish the ingredients of the charge.

The EFCC had in 2015 dragged Dokpesi to court accusing him and his company of illegally receiving funds considered as proceeds of crimes from a former National Security Adviser (NSA), rtd Col. Sambo Dasuki.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges and went further to file a no-case submission after the prosecution closed its case in November 2018 after calling 14 witnesses.

However, the trial judge, Justice Tsoho, rejected the no-case submission and ordered Dokpesi and his firm to enter their defence.

Not satisfied, the defendants then approached the Court of Appeal, with a request to nullify the decision and free him from the charges on the grounds that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against them.

In the unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Elfreda Williams-Dawodu, the appellate court agreed with the appellants that the case of the respondents lacked merit having “failed woefully to establish a prima facie case against the appellant”.

According to the judgment, for any case to be established against the defendants, it is necessary to first prove the ingredients of offence in the predicate offences in counts 1 to 4 of the seven-count charge which bordered on criminal breach of trust, division of funds, money laundering and corruption.

The court further held that EFCC failed to prove that the N2.1 billion allegedly received by the appellant was a proceed of breach of trust and accordingly set aside the decision of the lower court which held that the appellants had a case to answer.

“No case was made against the appellant in counts 1, 2, 3 and 4 to warrant his being called upon to open his defence.

“There is no possibility that the appellant can be convicted because the evidence are manifestly unreliable.

“I am of the view that irrespective of the ingredients stated earlier, and those by the appellant and first respondent respectively, prior proof or establishment of the predicate offences in count 1,2,3 and 4 of the amended charge is sine qua non to the proof of the offences of money laundering specified in the said counts.

NAN

Headlines

Tinubu Urges United Front on Development as Africa’s Sovereign Wealth Funds Gather in Abuja

Published

3 hours ago

June 16, 2025

Matthew Eloyi

President Bola Tinubu on Monday called for greater regional cooperation and coordinated action among African countries to unlock transformative development across the continent.

Speaking through Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Fourth Annual Meeting of the Africa Sovereign Investors Forum (ASIF) in Abuja, the President said sovereign wealth funds must evolve from passive fiscal buffers into proactive tools for continental transformation.

“Our future lies not in working in silos but in pursuing regional cooperation and collective ambition,” Tinubu said while declaring the forum open. “Our sovereign wealth funds must become the anchors for pan-African investment platforms that de-risk projects, standardise processes and deliver sustainable outcomes at scale. This is not just a strategy. This is a necessity.”

The forum, hosted by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), had the theme: “Leveraging African Sovereign Wealth Funds to Mobilise Global Capital for Transformative Development in Africa.”

President Tinubu emphasized the need for Africa to adapt to a rapidly transforming global economy by rethinking investment strategies to close infrastructure gaps, build climate resilience, and create jobs for the continent’s fast-growing youth population.

“Africa faces a development dilemma: limited fiscal space, growing expectations, and urgent demands for long-term capital,” the President noted. “There can be no greater inspiration to re-imagine how we invest in setting up critical infrastructure, strengthening our climate resilience, promoting food security, supporting MSMEs, or embracing digital economy to create jobs and expand opportunity.”

He lauded NSIA as a model institution, describing it as “a catalyst in our national quest” to unlock growth in renewable energy, healthcare, agriculture, and more.

Tinubu added that ASIF provided a much-needed pan-African mechanism for sovereign funds to “share knowledge, co-invest across borders and speak with a unified voice in the global financial ecosystem.”

Also speaking at the event, Managing Director of NSIA, Mr. Aminu Umar-Sadiq, said the forum was expected to lay the groundwork for African sovereign funds to co-create sustainable investment vehicles capable of attracting global capital.

“We want to strike the right balance between risk-taking and conservative wealth management,” he said. “And we aim to position ourselves as preferred strategic partners for global investors looking for credible exposure in Africa.”

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, highlighted capital mobilisation, cross-border collaboration, and policy alignment as key priorities for driving long-term development across the continent.

President of AfreximBank, Prof. Benedict Oramah, underscored the importance of investing Africa’s sovereign wealth within the continent, stressing that domestic markets must be strengthened to shape Africa’s developmental future.

Chairman of ASIF, Mr. Obaid Amrane, said the forum had made significant strides in its three years of existence and would continue to champion Africa’s global investment positioning.

Delivering a rousing address, renowned Pan-African scholar Prof. P.L.O. Lumumba called on African leaders to prioritise investments for future generations.

“It is an intergenerational duty for political and economic leaders on the continent to cater for unborn generations,” Lumumba said. “Africa’s resources are inexhaustible. The time to invest in our future is now.”

With a convergence of policymakers, development financiers, and investment leaders, the ASIF meeting in Abuja signalled a united determination to rethink Africa’s path to development—driven not by aid, but by African capital working for African progress.

Headlines

2nd Year Anniversary: Obasanjo storms Zamfara for projects inauguration

Published

4 hours ago

June 16, 2025

Matthew Eloyi

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo will on June 17, inaugurate the newly upgraded Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital, Gusau, Zamfara.

This is contained in a statement issued on Monday in Gusau, Zamfara by Malam Suleiman Idris, Gov. Dauda Lawal’s Spokesperson.

Idris said the project inauguration by Obasanjo would be part of the activities of Lawal’s second year anniversary as governor of Zamfara.

According to him, the hospital has been fully upgraded and equipped with state-of-the-art facilities that meet global standards.

“The former President will inaugurate the renovated Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital, Gusau, Tuesday, June 17.

“The hospital has been fully renovated and is now equipped with state-of-the-art facilities.

“Additionally, Obasanjo will commission major roads in the GRA Area in Gusau, the state capital.

“The facilities are part of the Lawal administration’s Urban Renewal Projects,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Lawal administration had inaugurated schools, hospitals and several other projects, either upgraded or newly executed within the two years across strategic locations in the state.

Lawal had equally provided several logistic support to the security forces in his effort to tackle banditry and kidnapping in the state.

Headlines

Tinubu Postpones Kaduna Trip, Heads to Benue Over Escalating Crisis

Published

4 hours ago

June 16, 2025

Matthew Eloyi

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has rescheduled his planned official visit to Kaduna State and will instead travel to Benue State on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, to address the persistent conflict rocking parts of the state.

According to a statement issued on Monday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the visit is part of renewed efforts by the Tinubu administration to foster peace and restore stability to communities affected by the recurring violence in Benue.

President Tinubu is expected to engage directly with stakeholders—including traditional rulers, political leaders, religious figures, community heads, and youth groups—during a town hall meeting aimed at identifying lasting solutions to the crisis, which has claimed numerous lives and displaced many residents.

In a show of urgency and commitment, the President has already deployed high-level officials to Benue ahead of his visit. These include the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Inspector General of Police, heads of intelligence agencies, the National Security Adviser, and the Chairmen of the Senate and House Defence Committees.

President Tinubu has previously condemned the ongoing violence in Benue, urging all sides to embrace peace, mutual understanding, and unity. He also extended condolences to families who have lost loved ones and those who have suffered due to the prolonged conflict.

Originally scheduled to visit Kaduna State on Wednesday to commission several state government projects, President Tinubu will now carry out the Kaduna leg of his itinerary on Thursday, June 19, 2025.