Momoh Bello, the prosecution’s attorney, told the court that the defendants’ arraignment was the reason for the case’s call. After the defendants left, Bello requested a bench warrant against them, claiming that they had all been served. Joshua Abel, the attorney for M.O.B. Integrated Limited, the fourth defendant, however, objected to the bench warrant prayer. He informed the court that the fourth defendant is a business, that he was notified of the matter late on Thursday, and that the fourth defendant received service late on Wednesday. Abel further informed the court that the majority of the accused, who are the firm’s directors, were out of the nation.

He stated, “I have not had a chance to review the matter before the directors can be arraigned.” The prosecutor was then asked to provide the date and proof of service by Justice Lewis-Allagoa. “I need the date of service and documentation of service,” he said. The third and fourth defendants were served, according to the court’s record. One of them was served yesterday, and the others have been served in less than 48 hours. There is no proof of service against the first and second defendants, who are natural people.

“Personal service is required by law. You can go serve the defendants on a regular basis. The first and second defendants have not been served, according to any evidence. The third and fourth defendants, however, have been proven to have been served. The judge declared, “The prosecution is directed to serve the first and second defendants,” and postponed the arraignment of all defendants until February 27, 2025. Between May and September 2013, the defendants and others conspired to illegally steal N1,356,057,330.43 from Access Bank Plc (formerly Diamond Bank), according to the Inspector General of Police’s Special Fraud Unit in Ikoyi, Lagos.

They were charged with deceiving bank employees and officers by claiming they were engaged in the importation of vehicles from Dubai for Nigerian consumers and that the funds were required to finance the purchase of a fresh set of cars for resale. Additionally, the defendants are charged with knowing or having cause to know that the funds were the proceeds of illegal activity when they converted, transferred, kept, or took possession of them. The police also claimed that they illegally took N1 billion from the bank and used it for their own purposes.

According to the police, the offences committed contravened Section 8(i)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3), 1(i)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offenses Act, No. 14 of 2006, and Section 18(2)(b) and (d) and 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.