The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned three senior officials of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) over N2.04 billion alleged fraud, unlawful enrichment, and money laundering offences.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday.
The defendants, according to the Commission, are Felix Njoku, a former Director of Finance of the NRC; Benjamin Chinwuba Iloanusi, currently a Director in the Procurement Department of the NRC; and Oche Jerry Ogbole-Inalegwu, currently Director of Mechanical.
What they are saying
- According to the Commission, the trio were arraigned on separate charges bordering on alleged abuse of office, money laundering, and unlawful enrichment by public officials involving N2.04 billion.
- Njoku was arraigned before Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe of the Special Offences Court, Ikeja, on a 17-count charge involving an alleged fraud of N736,320,807.08.
- He was partly alleged to have, after leaving office as Director of Finance of the NRC between January 2 and December 3, 2024, received N240,940,000.00 from NRC contractors through the bank account of FC Njoku and Company, domiciled in a commercial bank, linked to contracts awarded during his tenure.
- Iloanusi was arraigned before Justice Ismail Ijelu on a 10-count charge involving an alleged N915,265,472.60 fraud.
- According to the charge, “Iloanusi allegedly received ₦160,930,458.04 from NRC contractors through accounts domiciled in Polaris Bank Plc while serving as Director of Procurement between January 4 and December 30, 2022.”
- The EFCC alleged that the payments were connected to contracts awarded in the course of his official duties.
- Ogbole was arraigned before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court, Ikeja, on a nine-count charge involving an alleged N395,190,600.00 fraud.
One of the counts against Ogbole-Inalegwu reads:
- “That you, Oche Jerry Ogbole-Inalegwu, while serving as the Railway District Manager, Nigerian Railway Corporation, and transacting under the name of Altech Engineering Services, between February 12, 2019, and October 29, 2019, in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, committed an offence, to wit: corruption by receiving the cumulative sum of Eleven Million, Three Hundred and Ninety-Seven Thousand, Five Hundred Naira (N11,397,500.00) from China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), a contractor of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, through the bank account of Altech Engineering Services domiciled in Access Bank Plc, on account of contracts awarded to CCECC during the discharge of your official duties.”
Upon arraignment before different judges, all the defendants pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, paving the way for the prosecution counsel, Abba Muhammad, SAN, to request trial dates and for the defendants to be remanded pending trial.
He noted that the prosecution intended to respond to certain paragraphs in their bail applications on points of law.
The defence counsel, Mordecai Adejo, urged the court to allow the defendants to continue enjoying the administrative bail earlier granted by the EFCC.
- Justice Abike-Fadipe granted Felix Njoku temporary release on health grounds, ordering him to deposit his international passport with the court and report to the EFCC Lagos Directorate 1 office every Monday and Friday.
- The matter was adjourned to March 10, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application and to May 11, 12, 18, and 19, 2026, for the commencement of trial.
- Justice Ismail Ijelu remanded Iloanusi in a correctional centre and adjourned the case until March 3, 2026, for the hearing of his bail application and commencement of trial.
- Justice Dada allowed Ogbole-Inalegwu to continue enjoying the administrative bail earlier granted by the EFCC and adjourned the case until April 23, 2026, for hearing.
What You Should Know
The development comes days after the EFCC arraigned a former Managing Director of the NRC, Fidet Edetanle, over alleged money laundering involving $385,000 and N165.5 million.
Edetanle was brought before the Ikeja Special Offences Court on Tuesday, where he is facing a seven-count charge bordering on abuse of office, unlawful enrichment, and money laundering.
He pleaded not guilty to all the charges, paving the way for trial.
