[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n October 11, 2023, Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, adjourned an alleged N1.7bn fraud case involving Kayode Odukoya, Managing Director of First Nation Airways Limited, until December 1, 2023, for judgment.
Odukoya, along with First Nation Airways Limited First Nation Airways Limited and Bellview Airlines Limited, faces seven-count charges, including forgery, use of false documents, perjury, stealing, and obtaining credit by fraud, contrary to various sections of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.
In one count, dated August 29, 2013, Odukoya and First Nation Airways fraudulently obtained credit of N307,268,406.43 from Skye Bank (Now Polaris Bank), presenting a Memorandum of Loss at Lagos State Certificate of Occupancy. Another count, on October 7, 2016, accuses them of dishonestly converting N1,742,994,962.04 belonging to Skye Bank.
Pleading “not guilty” initiated the trial. Before closing the case on November 30, 2020, the prosecution presented five witnesses and various documents. However, the defendant, through counsel E.D. Onyeke, applied for a no-case submission, which the judge dismissed on January 11, 2022, ordering the defendant to open his defense.
The defendant defended himself, denying the allegations, leading to the conclusion of his defense. Justice Dada adjourned for the adoption of final written addresses. During Tuesday’s proceedings, prosecution counsel Nnaemeka Omewa urged the court to affirm the prosecution’s case, while Onyeke adopted the final written address of the defense, urging the court to discharge and acquit the defendant.
After listening to both parties, Justice Dada adjourned the case until December 1, 2023, for judgment.
