The Abuja Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, July 21, 2025, has arraigned one Philip Ifejimalu Eze and a company allegedly linked to him, Orimiri Oil and Gas, over alleged N63,000,000 fraud in Abuja.
The defendants were arraigned before Justice A.H. Musa of the Fedr FCT High Court Apo-Abuja on a one count charge, according to a statement by the EFCC.
The EFCC alleges that the development contravened Advance Fee Fraud.
EFCC Case
According to the EFCC, the defendant allegedly had intent to defraud one Chief Amech Nduka of Amatex Oil and Gas to deliver 45,000 liters of Automatic Gas Oil valued at N63,000,000, through inducement.
The Commission seeks punishment for the alleged contravention.
The charge reads “That you, Philip Ifejimalu Eze while being the Managing Director of Orimiri Oil and Gas sometime in 2024 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, induced one Chief Amech Nduka of Amatex Oil and Gas to deliver 45,000 liters of Automatic Gas Oil valued at N63,000,000 (Sixty Three Million Naira only) which payment was made via a bank cheque of Mainstreet Bank Plc which you knew had already been liquidated as same was rejected at Zenith Bank Plc when presented for payment which pretense you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(a) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act”
What transpired in court
- At the resumed court session, the defendant and the company were arraigned before the judge.
- He pleaded not guilty when the charge was read by the registrar.
- This prompted prosecution counsel, Mariya Ujudud Shariff to request for a date to commence trial.
- But the defendants legal team urged the court to grant his client bail on liberal terms.
- Ruling on the bail application, Justice Musa granted the suspect bail with two sureties, one of whom must be a civil servant not below Grade Level 12.
” The surety must bring a letter of introduction from his place of work to be verified by the Court Registrar while the other must have a house within the jurisdiction of the court and depose to an affidavit and sign a N2, 000,000 (Two Million Naira) bail bond,” the judge ruled, according to the EFCC.
The judge then adjourned the matter till November 11, 2025, for commencement of trial.
As EFCC is arraigning Igbos in courts so are the Yorubas that have cases with EFCC being discharged and their cases dismissed.