By Francis Wilfred
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned four suspects before the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja over alleged fraud and theft involving more than N95 million.According to the anti-graft agency, the defendants—Adetunji Mathew, Victor Damilare Olaomo, Douglas Agorom Ikwugwu and Arowolo Adeniyi Abiodun—were arraigned by the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 before different judges.
Mathew and Olaomo were charged with a five-count allegation bordering on conspiracy and stealing involving over N91 million. The offences are said to contravene Sections 409 and 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. In a separate case, Ikwugwu and Abiodun face a five-count charge involving conspiracy, stealing and alleged retention of proceeds of crime amounting to about N3.4 million under the same law.
All four defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read in court.Following the plea, prosecution counsel B. M. Isah and U. S. Kyari asked the court to fix trial dates and requested that the defendants be remanded in a correctional facility pending trial. Counsel to the first defendant, I. A. Salau, informed the court that a bail application had been filed and urged the court to grant bail on liberal terms.
Justice Okunuga ordered that Mathew and Olaomo be remanded in a correctional facility and adjourned the case to March 17, 2026, for hearing of the bail application. In the related case, Justice Abike-Fadipe adjourned proceedings involving Ikwugwu and Abiodun to March 16, 2026, for hearing of their bail application and May 20, 2026, for the commencement of trial.
