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Adenmosun, Ex- Director of Bank PHB Arraigned over Alleged N26.6Bn Fraud
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Friday, arraigned Samuel Funmi Adenmosun, a former director of Bank PHB (now Keystone), before a Federal High Court, Lagos over alleged money laundering amounting to N26.6 billion.
Samuel Funmi Adenmosun
Adenmosun was arraigned alongside his company, Home Trust Savings and Loan Limited and a private company, Rare Properties and Development Limited.
They were arraigned before the court presided over by Justice Daniel Osiagor, on a 10-count charge bordering on Conspiracy, money laundering and fraudulent conversion of the proceeds of private placement raised from the public in the name of Investments & Allied Assurance Plc.
Earlier, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, EFCC prosecutor, informed the court of the 10-count charge dated January 5, 2020 and urged the court to direct that the charge be read to the defendants.
Following the reading of the charge, Adenmosun pleaded not guilty to all 10-count charge.
Following the defendant’s plea of not guilty, the prosecutor, Oyedepo, asked the court for a trial date and urged the court to remand him in custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS), till the determination of the charge.
However, Mr. Wale Adesokan (SAN), Adenmosun’s lawyer, informed the court that a bail application dated January 13, 2022, has been filed and same has been served on the prosecution.
He urged the court to hand over Adenmosun to him assuring the court that he would always attend to his case.
But, Justice Osiagor refused the request and granted him bail in the sum of N250 million with two sureties.
Court ordered that one of the sureties must be a grade level 15 officer in either federal or state ministry, while the other surety must be a blood relation of the defendant.
The court further directed that he should be remanded in EFCC custody pending the perfection of his bail application.
Whle adjourned the matter till February 25 and March 4, 2022 for commencement of defendant’s trial.
Some of the charges against the defendant reads: “That you, Funmi Adenmosun and Home Trust Savings and Loan Limited and Rare Properties and Development Limited sometimes in 2007 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired amongst yourselves to ronvect the toil sum of N26, 600, 000, 000 (Twenty Six Billion, Six Hundred Million Naira} which sum you reasonably ought to have known forns part of proceeds of Fraudulent conversion of the proceeds of private placement raised from the public in the name of Investments & Allied Assurance Plc and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 18(a) of the Money laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (2) (b) of the same Act.
“That you Funmi Adenmosun and Home Trust Savings and Loan Limited on or about the 8 day of November, 2007, in Lagos within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court indirectly transferred the sum of N450,000,000.00 (Four Hundred and Fifty Five Million Naira) to Rare Properties and Development Limited which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of fraudulent conversion of the funds raised from the subscribers to the private placement conducted in the name of Investments & Allied Assurance Pic and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011, as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
“That you, Rare Properties and Development Limited or about the 8 day of November, 2007 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court retained the sum of N450,000,060.00 (Four Hundred and Fifty Five Million Naira) which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of fraudulent conversion of the funds raised from the subscribers to the private placement conducted in the name of Investments & Allied Assurance Plc and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2} (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
“That you, Funmi Adenmosun and Home Trust Savings and Loan Limited, on or about the 9th day of November, 2007 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourabie Court indirectly transferred the sum of N610.600,000.00 (Six Hundred and Ten Million Naira) to Rare Properties and Deveapment Limited which sum you reasonably ought to have knawn forms part of the proceeds of fraudulent Conversion of che funds raised from the subscribers to the private placement conducted in the name of Investments & Allied Assurance Ple and you thereby committed an offence contrary ta section 15 (2) (b} of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
“That you, Rare Properties and Development Limited on or about the 9” day of November, 2007 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court retained the sum of N610,000,000,00 (Six Hundred and Ten Million Naira) which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of fraudulent conversion of the funds raised from the subscribers to the private placement conducted in the name of Investments & Allied Assurance Plc and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2017 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
“That you, Rare Properties and Development Limited on or about the 12th day of November, 2007 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court retained the sum of N702, 000, 000. 00 (Seven Hundred and Two Million Naira) which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of fraudulent conversion of the funds raised from the subscribers to the private placement conducted in the name of Investments & Allied Assurance Plc and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Launderina. Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable undef section 15 (3) of the same Act.
“That you, Funmi Adenmosun and Home Trust Savings and Loan Limited on or about the 13th day of November, 2007, within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court indirectly transferred the sum of N706,000,000.00 (Seven Hundred and six million) to Rare Properties and Development Limited which you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of fraudulent Conversion of the funds raised from the subscriber to the private placement conducted in the name of investment & Allied Assurance Plc and you hereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2)(4) Of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same act.
“That you, Rare Properties and Development Limited on or about the 13th day of November, 2007 in Lagos, within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court retained the sum of N706,000,000.00 (Seven hundered and Six Million Naira) which sum you reasonsbly ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of fraudulent Conversion of the funds raised from the subscriber to the private placement conducted in the name of investment & Allied Assurance Plc and you hereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2)(4) Of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same act.
“That you Funmi Adenmosun and Home Trust Savings and Loan Limited between 14 day of November and 31st day of Decernter 2007, wage, in ing jurisdiction of this Honourable Court indwecthy teanaforred the aggregate wen of N12, 572,001,080.00 (twelve billion, Five Hundred and Seventy Two Millon, One Thousand, eighty Naire) which you reaonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of fraudulent Conversion of the funds raised from the subscribers to the private placement conducted in the name of lnvestments & Allied Assurance Plc and you hereby committed an offence contrary 10 section 35 (2) (b) Of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishabie Under the same Act”.
An Ikeja Special Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Monday sentenced Olawale Faleti, a former Lagos State Education director, to two years and five months’ imprisonment for stealing ₦48.9 million from Access Bank Plc.
Justice Rahman Oshodi convicted Faleti, 64, on five counts of stealing after finding him guilty of charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In his judgment, Oshodi said the offence was deliberate and sustained, noting that Faleti carried out repeated withdrawals despite knowing he had no authorisation to access the funds.
The judge added that the convict failed to show genuine remorse or fully accept responsibility for his actions.
“Financial institutions are the lifeblood of our economy and public confidence in them must be preserved,” Oshodi said, adding that “Those who attempt to defraud or steal from banks must understand that severe consequences will follow.”
While acknowledging Faleti as a first-time offender, the court said a custodial sentence was unavoidable.
The judge applied a 20 per cent reduction from the three-year maximum sentence, citing minimal restitution efforts as a mitigating factor.
Faleti was sentenced to two years and five months’ imprisonment on each of the five counts, with the sentences ordered to run concurrently.
The court directed that the sentence take effect from January 5, 2026, and ordered that Faleti’s biometric details and name be entered into the Lagos State Judiciary offenders’ registry.
After deducting ₦3 million already restituted, the court ordered Faleti to pay an outstanding ₦45.9 million to Access Bank Plc, directing the bank to notify the court upon full recovery of the funds.
Earlier, Mr Ahmed Dambuwa, EFCC counsel, told the court that Faleti dishonestly converted ₦48.9 million belonging to the bank by exploiting unauthorised access to an Access Bank credit card.
He said the card permitted withdrawals of not less than ₦43,000 per transaction, but a system glitch enabled Faleti to withdraw about ₦48 million during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
One of the charges stated that between July 2 and July 10, 2020, Faleti converted ₦12.6 million for personal use, while another alleged that between May 22 and July 1, 2020, he converted ₦6.9 million, all property of Access Bank Plc.
The offences were said to contravene Section 287(1)(a) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
974 Nigerians Face Imminent Deportation from Canada Amid Enforcement Surge – No fewer than 974 Nigerians are currently facing imminent deportation from Canada, according to official data from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
The affected individuals fall under the country’s “removal-in-progress” category, signifying that deportation proceedings have commenced but remain inconclusive, pending final arrangements such as travel documents. Between January and October 2025 alone, Canadian authorities deported 366 Nigerians, marking a significant uptick from previous years.
Of these, approximately 83 per cent comprised failed refugee claimants, while criminality accounted for about four per cent of cases. Nigeria emerged as the only African country in Canada’s top 10 nationalities for deportations in 2025, securing ninth position, while ranking fifth among those awaiting removal.
This contrasts sharply with 2023 and 2024, when Nigeria was absent from the top 10 deportation list, though figures reflect an eight per cent rise over the 2019 total of 339 removals.
Canada’s aggressive enforcement drive has seen nearly 400 foreign nationals removed weekly, culminating in 18,048 deportations during the 2024-2025 fiscal year at a cost of about $78 million.
The initiative draws support from an additional $30.5 million for removals and $1.3 billion for border enforcement, aimed at bolstering immigration controls amid pressures on housing, employment, and security.
Canada remains a prime destination for Nigerians outside the United Kingdom and United States, with over 71,000 acquiring citizenship between 2005 and 2024, alongside thousands arriving annually as students, workers, and permanent residents.
Under Canadian law, those issued enforceable removal orders must depart voluntarily or face enforced exit. The CBSA’s nationwide inventory lists 29,542 individuals in removal-in-progress as of late 2025, dominated by failed refugee claims at 15,605 cases. Nigeria’s 974 cases place it behind India (6,515), Mexico (4,650), USA (1,704), and China (1,430).
Immigration lawyers caution that passage of Bill C-12 could escalate deportations by imposing permanent bans on certain refugee claims and curbing late filings.
Authorities attribute the push to restoring system integrity, with non-compliance by refugee claimants driving most inadmissibility findings.
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has challenged the South East Development Commission (SEDC) leadership to provide transparent details on achievements recorded in its inaugural year despite an approved budget of N140 billion for 2025.
SEDC
HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, disclosed that the group’s researchers found no concrete evidence of infrastructure projects executed in the South-East region for the benefit of the Igbo people since the commission’s inception.
Efforts to obtain specifics from Senate Committee Chairman on SEDC, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, and Governing Board Chairman, Chief Emeka Wogu, yielded vague responses, with Wogu citing a mere “road map” and Kalu claiming no information was available.
The rights group recalled that the National Assembly approved N140 billion for SEDC in the N54.9 trillion 2025 budget passed on February 14, matching allocations for other regional commissions like South-West, South-South, and North-Central, while North-West received N145.61 billion and Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) got N626.53 billion.
President Bola Tinubu signed the SEDC Establishment Bill into law on July 24, 2024, with the board inaugurated on February 12, 2025, under Chairman Emeka Wogu and Managing Director Mark Okoye.
Okoye, in his inaugural address, quoted the World Bank estimating a $10 billion annual investment need over 30 years to bridge the region’s infrastructure gap, pledging collaboration with states, private sector, and partners to build a $200 billion economy by 2035.
Priorities outlined include security and investment infrastructure, agriculture, industrialisation, technology, innovation, and human capital development, amid challenges like insecurity, low ease-of-doing-business, unemployment, and 2,500 erosion sites displacing thousands.
HURIWA noted that while the commission’s creation sparked optimism to address post-Civil War neglect, bureaucratic hurdles, political meddling, and funding opacity threaten its potential, aligning with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for inclusivity.
The group described SEDC’s performance as a “spectacular failure,” urging Igbo youths and intellectuals to demand accountability to prevent elite capture of funds meant for roads, housing reconstruction, ecological remediation, agriculture, manufacturing, technology, railways, and energy projects in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states.
Onwubiko warned that pocketing the cash-backed N140 billion would betray the Igbo people’s development aspirations, calling for immediate disclosure of expenditures and verifiable outcomes.
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