In Lagos, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has taken two individuals, Abel Sokari and Nkeiruka Chukwuma, to court for allegedly attempting to defraud First Bank of Nigeria of €49 million. Also charged alongside them is their firm, Zakah Global Investment Ltd.
The trio faces a six-count charge involving criminal conspiracy to defraud, use of fake documents, and falsification of information. They were arraigned before Justice Mojisola Dada at the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja.
Both Sokari and Chukwuma denied the allegations, pleading not guilty.
Prosecuting counsel for the EFCC, Hanatu Kofarnaisa, requested that the court set a date for trial and asked that the accused be remanded until proceedings begin.
Lawyers for the defendants, Senior Advocates Clement Onwenwnor and Laolu Owolabi, urged the court to consider their bail requests. They assured the judge that they would take personal responsibility for the defendants until their bail conditions were fulfilled.
Justice Dada ruled that the defendants be granted bail of ₦500,000 each, with one surety per person providing the same amount. The court stipulated that sureties must show valid proof of employment and present two years of tax clearance from Lagos State.
The accused were released to their lawyers temporarily, with the court allowing one month for the completion of all bail formalities.
According to the EFCC’s case, the attempted fraud occurred on May 19, when the defendants allegedly tried to obtain €49 million from First Bank by presenting a false claim that the funds had been transferred from Bayan Investment Bank into Zakah Global Investment Ltd.’s account.
The anti-graft agency further claimed that in April 2024, the defendants possessed a forged letter purportedly written by Steven H. Sado, who was described as lead defence counsel to former U.S. President Donald Trump. The letter was allegedly part of the fraudulent documentation.
These offences, according to the EFCC, violate multiple provisions under Nigeria’s anti-fraud laws, including the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, and the Lagos State Criminal Code.
The trial has been adjourned to October 29, 2025.