N1.7bn fraud: Court orders First Nation’s Odukoya to open defense January 17-18, 2022

A Special Offenses Court, sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State  has dismissed a no-case submission filed by Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of First Nation Airways Limited, Mr Kayode Odukoya through his lawyer and has ordered the defendant to open his case on January 17 and 18, 2022.

Odukoya is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) and is standing trial alongside First Nation Airways Limited and Bellview Airlines Limited on a seven-count charge  for an alleged N1.7bn fraud .  Alleged N1.7b theft and forgery: EFCC arraigns Odukoya, First Nation Airways Managing Director

The court presided over by Justice Mojisola Dada, had heard the prosecution closed its case on November 30, 2020, after calling five witnessed and tendering several documents to prove its case however, rather than open his defense, the defendant, through his counsel, Edoka Onyeke, had filed a no-case submission.

Onyeke had urged the Court to “dismiss the seven-count charge and to discharge the defendant”, while the prosecuting counsel, A.B.C. Ozioko, had argued that there was “legally admissible evidence against the defendant to warrant him to enter his defense and to explain his role in the charge.”

Delivering ruling, Justice Dada dismissed the no-case submission and ordered the defendant too open his case on January 17 and 18.

Odukoya is standing trial alongside First Nation Airways Limited and Bellview Airlines Limited on a seven-count charge bordering on forgery, use of false document, perjury, the stealing and obtaining credit by fraud contrary to sections 85(1), 86(1), 278(1)&(b), 285(1), 313(1)(a) &(b), 361(1)(a)& (b), 363 (1) and 364(1) of the criminal law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011. 2022.

The counts read in part: “Kayode Odukoya and First Nation Airways, on or about the 29th day of August, 2013 in Lagos, within the lkeja Judicial Division, by means of fraud, obtained the credit of N307,268,406.43 for yourselves from Skye Bank Plc (Now Polaris Bank Ltd) and made the bank to incur liability by presenting a Memorandum of Loss at Lagos State Certificate of Occupancy registered as No.33 at page 33 in Volume 1011 at the Lagos State Registry, Alausa, Ikeja In respect of property being and situate at No. 29 Oduduwa Street, lkeja GRA. Lagos State.”

“Kayode Odukoya, First Nation Airways Limited and Bellview Airlines Limited, on or about the 7th day of October, 2016 in Lagos within, the Lagos Judicial Division, dishonestly converted to your own use the sum of N1, 742,994,962.04 (One Billion, Seven Hundred and Forty-one Million, Nine Hundred and Ninety-four Thousand, Nine Hundred and Sixty-two Naira, Four Kobo) property of Skye Bank Plc.” He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges.