The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned Ali Bala and Yusuf Umar Anka before the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja over alleged fraud involving £110,000 and N500 million.
The defendants were brought before trial judge Olukayode Ogunjobi on 10ncounte of money laundering, stealing and retention of stolen property. EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale stated this in a statement on Friday.
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One of the counts alleged that the defendants, sometime in 2025 in Lagos, conducted financial transactions involving proceeds of unlawful activity in an attempt to conceal the source of £110,000 allegedly stolen.
One of the counts alleged that Mr Bala, a.k.a. Barrister Ahmed, and Mr Anka sometime in 2025 in Lagos, “conducted financial transactions involving proceeds of your unlawful activities to disguise the source of the stolen £110,000.00…”
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The EFCC noted that the alleged offence contravened Section 7(1)(b)(i) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
Messrs Bala and Anka pleaded not guilty to the charges.
After their pleas, prosecution lawyer, H.U. Kofarnaisa, asked the court to adjourn the case for trial and sought an order for the defendants to be remanded in a correctional facility.
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But the defence lawyer told the court that applications for the defendants’ bail had already been filed.
Mr Ogunjobi fixed 8 September for hearing of the bail applications. He ordered that the defendants remain in EFCC custody until then.
The antigraft agency has recently prosecuted the defendants who have been involved in fraud.
In February, Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court in Lagos convicted two Chinese: Huang Haoyu and An Hongxu, to 46 years’ imprisonment each for cyber terrorism and internet fraud.
During their trial, EFCC noted that the defendants were found to have procured and employed Nigerian youths to falsely represent themselves as foreign nationals for the purpose of defrauding unsuspecting victims through online platforms.
Also, EFCC prosecuted three individuals and two companies over an alleged theft of N652.18 million. The commission secured the conviction of four persons for illegal foreign exchange transactions and unlawful trading of naira notes.
It also recovered N125 million for a victim of an alleged land fraud in Lagos.
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