On Monday, Judge Ismail Ijelu of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja found Obiajulu Emeka Emmanuel guilty of acquiring $850,000 under false pretenses and sentenced him to a year in prison. 

On November 10, 2025, the defendant was first arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, Ikoyi, on a 21-count charge pertaining to obtaining under false pretence, forgery, and retention of stolen property, in violation of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offenses Act, 2006, and the Lagos State Criminal Law.

One of the charges read: “OBIAJULU EMEKA EMMANUEL sometime between the 4th of January, 2018 to the 17th of December, 2018, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court dishonestly converted to your own use the aggregate sum of N12,330.423.90 (Twelve million, Three hundred and Thirty thousand, Four Hundred and Twenty Three Naira, Ninety Kobo) property of Taeko Omomo”.

Another charge read: “OBIAJULU EMEKA EMMANUEL sometime between the 7th of January, 2019 to the 27th of December, 2019 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court dishonestly converted to your own use the aggregate sum of N8,697,505.89 (Eight million, Six Hundred and Ninety Seven thousand, Five Hundred and Five Naira, Eighty Nine Kobo) property of Taeko Omomo”.

Prosecution attorney C. C. Okezie submitted a number of documents during the hearings, and the court accepted them as evidence. 

She also told the court that the EFCC had already obtained a definitive forfeiture order from Justice Chukwujekwu Joseph Aneke of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, for three of the defendant's assets, which were forfeited in favor of Taeko Omomo, the victim. On March 5, 2026, the EFCC re-arraigned the defendant after amending the charges to seven counts in response to developments throughout the trial. 

The defendant altered his plea from "not guilty" to "guilty" upon re-arraignment. Justice Ijelu concluded that the prosecution had established its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Justice Ijelu concluded that the prosecution had established its case beyond a reasonable doubt. 

As a result, the court found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to one year in prison starting on March 9, 2026, along with a 30-day fine of N1,000,000.

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