Court Strikes Out N24.5m Fraud Charges Against Salesman, Others

Justice Alexander Owoeye of a Federal High Court, Lagos has struck out criminal charges against a salesman, a Point-of-Sale (POS) operator and three other defendants following the withdrawal of the case by the Nigeria Police.

The matter, instituted by operatives of the Zone 2 Command, Onikan, Lagos, was discontinued after the prosecution informed the court that the nominal complainant had decided to withdraw the complaint. 

Acting on the application moved by the police prosecutor, Justice Owoeye struck out the charge, bringing the criminal proceedings against the defendants to an end.

The defendants in the charge marked FHC/L/519C/2025 were; Darlington Oden, Kelechi Eze, Ugochukwu Nwosike, Queen Nkajima Uzor and Isaac Michael.

They were arraigned before the court on a 12-count amended charge of alleged theft of cosmetics worth N24.15 million and related money laundering.

The allegations they denied and pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The defendants were represented by Barrister Olalekan Ogunbunmi, who did not opposed the withdrawal of the charge. 

According to the prosecution, Oden, Eze, Michael and others still at large allegedly conspired in 2025 to steal cosmetics belonging to Perfect Trust Cosmetics Limited from its warehouse located at the Balogun Trade Fair Complex in Lagos. The stolen products were valued at N24,150,600.

The police further alleged that the defendants retained and converted the stolen goods and proceeds derived from the alleged unlawful act.

The police said that goods worth N44,000 were recovered from Oden’s residence in Satellite Town, while he allegedly received N399,250 into his Access Bank account from Isaac Michael. While Eze was accused of receiving N439,000 through an Opay account, and Uzor allegedly received N235,000 through her Opay and Sterling Bank accounts.

The prosecution also alleged that Nwosike received and retained the stolen cosmetics at a shop in Kaduna Plaza, Lagos, while Michael was accused of transferring funds suspected to be proceeds of the alleged theft to the accounts of his co-defendants.

Isaac Michael also faces charges of transferring funds allegedly derived from the unlawful act to the bank accounts of Oden, Eze and Uzor.

Nwosike was separately accused of receiving and retaining the allegedly stolen cosmetics valued at N24.15 million at a shop in Kaduna Plaza, Lagos.

The defendants alleged actions are contrary to sections 18(2)(d) 18(2)(b) and 21(a), of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and punishable under Section 18(3). And sections 427(1) and 383(1) of the Criminal Code Act Cap. 77 laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and punishable under Section 390(6) of the same Act.

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