N4bn fraud: Court adjourns Obiano’s case indefinitely

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, adjourned indefinitely, the trial of former Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano over alleged N4 billion fraud.

This followed an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that the matter be adjourned sine die (indefinitely).

When the case was called before Justice Mohammed Umar, the prosecuting counsel, S.O. Obila, informed the court that the matter was coming up before the judge for the first time.

Obila, however, stated that he had instruction from the lead prosecuting counsel to ask the court to adjourn the matter sine die.

“In the light of this, I have the instruction of the lead prosecuting counsel in this case, Mr Sylvanus Tahir, SAN to apply to the Chief Judge that since we had called nine witnesses before the previous judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, we should wait for him to return and conclude the matter,” he said.

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Responding, Obiano’s counsel, Onyeachi Ikpeazu (SAN), said he was not opposing the application for adjournment since the prosecutor explained to him the difficulty his team had in getting the nine witnesses who had already testified.

The presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Umar, subsequently adjourned the matter indefinitely.

Obiano, who was governor of Anambra State from March 2014 to March 2022, was arraigned by the EFCC on January 24, 2024, on a nine-count money laundering charge.

The anti-graft agency alleged that the former governor misappropriated over N4 billion from the state’s security vote account, diverting funds into private entities and converting some into foreign currency.

Nine witnesses have so far testified in the trial, including a Bureau de Change (BDC) operator who said he received about N416 million in eight months from the state’s security vote account.

The case was stalled, in part, because of Justice Ekwo’s suspension by the National Judicial Council (NJC).

The Star