The scheduled continuation of the trial of former Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, was stalled on Monday following the absence of the presiding judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, who was recently suspended by the National Judicial Council (NJC) for alleged misconduct.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Obiano before the Federal High Court, Abuja, on charges bordering on fraud, abuse of office, and money laundering during his tenure as governor between March 2014 and March 2022. The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/15/2024, accuses the former governor of misappropriating funds from the Anambra State Government’s security vote account, allegedly diverting billions for purposes unrelated to the state’s security needs.
In a detailed filing, the EFCC alleges that Obiano used top aides and government officials, including his then Principal Private Secretary, Willie Nwokoye, Otubetu Ugochukwu Chinedu, and Uzuegbuna Okoagbue, who served as Chief Protocol Officer and later Deputy Chief of Staff, to launder public funds.
“Funds from the Anambra State security vote were repeatedly transferred, on Obiano’s instructions, to private individuals and companies with no official business with the state,” the EFCC alleged. “These funds were then converted to U.S. dollars and delivered to the defendant in cash under the guise of ‘strategic security engagements, for which no evidence was provided.”
While the Anambra State Government maintained an official domiciliary account with Fidelity Bank, investigations by the anti-graft agency revealed that Obiano preferred channelling funds through third-party accounts to conceal the transactions.
The EFCC also dismissed Obiano’s defense that he could not be held liable for the actions of his subordinates. The Commission argued that such a position was not only “strange” but also self-indicting, adding that, as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Accounting Officer of the state, Obiano was directly responsible for the conduct of his aides.
The agency emphasized that, if indeed the transactions occurred without his authorization, “he should have taken immediate action against those responsible, instead of benefiting from the laundered funds.”
With Justice Ekwo’s suspension by the NJC, the trial now faces an indefinite delay pending reassignment or the conclusion of disciplinary proceedings.
Legal observers say the development could affect the momentum of the prosecution’s case and further delay justice in one of the most high-profile corruption cases involving a former state governor.
Obiano, who was arrested by the EFCC at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos shortly after leaving office in 2022, has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
No new date has been fixed for the continuation of trial.