News
Firm Petitions SFU as Bankers’ Panel Withdraws from N1Bn Fraud Probe
The Sub-committee on Ethics and Professionalism of the Bankers’ Committee has withdrawn from investigating a fraud case to the tune of about N1bn involving Star Orient Nigeria Limited, an aviation fuelling company, and Access Bank Plc.
Seye Awojobi, secretary of the committee, said in a report dated April 23, 2021, that the panel struck out the case following PUNCH Metro’s report on the investigation conducted into the case by the Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, Lagos State.
The report of the investigation had indicted some members of staff of Access Bank for allegedly colluding with the erstwhile Managing Director of Star Orient, Dare Osamo, and others to launder N1bn.
The police report read in part, “Strong prima facie cases of conspiracy, forgery, obtaining money by false pretences and stealing were established against Dare Osamo and others, including Access Bank.”
Responding to the company’s petition to the committee over the alleged N1bn fraud, Awojobi said, “The bank informed the sub-committee that the case was published in PUNCH Newspaper of March 11, 2021.
“The sub-committee, after due consideration, decided that the case should be struck out since the case was reported to the media, and also that the matter was under investigation by the Nigeria Police Force prior to the case being brought before the Sub-committee on Ethics and Professionalism.”
However, Ogbonnaya Agbafo, counsel for Star Orient, said his client waited on the Bankers’ Committee for eight months, adding that despite the firm and Access Bank finishing their submissions and waiting on the sub-committee to pass its verdict, no verdict was given.
He said, “If the sub-committee had adjudicated within a reasonable time after the parties had exhausted their submissions, it would have reached a decision long before March 11, 2021. Was the sub-committee patiently waiting for something – some slip or breach?
“There was no evidence that it was our client that took the matter to the press. The bank that made the allegation did not provide proof that it was our client and not the bank itself that leaked the matter to the press.
“The golden rule of adversarial proceedings is that he who asserts must prove. The sub-committee was content to act on the ipse dixit of our client’s adversary, on whose interest it was based, perhaps, upon its own induced press leak and the committee would appear to have waited for just that leak to happen – to cry off the case!”
Agbafo explained that the committee was avoiding engaging the truth, adding that its stance as presented by Awojobi was a “sad reflection that the ideals of social and economic justice will always suffer peril in any conflict between bent financial power and honest business.”
He added, “But on further reflection, one understands that self-interest is a universal law of life: why should a committee of bankers act in judgment against one of their own?
“Those who designed the concept of the sub-committee must have been diehard idealists to have overlooked this foible of man: what the wise Yoruba would call the ‘awa rawa’ principle!”
Star Orient added that the sub-committee threw out its petition during a 15-minute hearing and was insensitive about ethical standards in the banking sector.
It stated, “To set the records straight, ShibahWells Energy, our joint venture partner, petitioned the AIG, Zone 2 Command, against the directors of Star Orient on allegations of theft and money laundering
“Star Orient petitioned the Bankers’ Committee and the CBN to cause investigation into compliance with ethics and regulations governing banking in Nigeria vis-à-vis the opening and operations of the company’s bank accounts, including that of Access Bank.
“While we lack the power and resources to contend with the intimidation and overreaching powers of the bank, justice by all means must be served.
“We, therefore, petitioned the Inspector-General of Police through the Special Fraud Unit to unravel and prove wrong our allegation of fraud and connivance in money laundering against Access Bank and other financial institutions.”
When contacted, Eyitayo Johnson, Public Relations Officer, SFU, said, “I can confirm to you that the SFU has an active petition we are investigating in respect to the petition by Star Orient and it involves some deposit money banks and microfinance banks.
“The case is still very much ongoing and before the week runs out, we should be able to cover major milestones and be able to brief the press accordingly.”
Flutterwave has secured a strategic investment from Circle Ventures, the venture capital arm of Circle Internet Group, to accelerate the expansion of its USDC payments and settlement infrastructure across Africa.
This comes as demand for faster and more efficient cross-border transactions grows.
The investment strengthens Flutterwave’s ambition to integrate USDC settlement into its existing payment ecosystem, allowing businesses to receive payments in local currencies while settling in the dollar-backed stablecoin.
The company said the move would reduce settlement delays and transaction costs while enabling near-instant settlements beyond traditional banking hours.
The announcement comes after Flutterwave participated in the launch of the Circle Payments Network in 2025, marking a deeper collaboration between the two companies in advancing digital payment infrastructure across the continent.
Flutterwave said the investment aligns with its strategy of positioning stablecoins as a key component of Africa’s financial infrastructure, while ensuring blockchain-based payment services operate within existing regulatory and compliance frameworks.
Commenting on the development, Flutterwave Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Olugbenga Agboola, said the investment would help build the infrastructure required for the next phase of global money movement from Africa.
According to him, stablecoins have evolved beyond experimentation into core financial infrastructure capable of transforming how businesses move money across borders.
“This support from Circle Ventures is about backing the rails that will power the next era of global money movement from Africa. Stablecoins like USDC are no longer an experiment; they are becoming core financial infrastructure.
“By embedding USDC settlement into our current payments infrastructure, we are building a system that lets businesses move money at the speed of the internet. This fundamentally changes how payments from Africa connect to the world, and it positions Flutterwave as the default stablecoin gateway for the continent,” Agboola said.
Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), has cautioned newly appointed judges of the lower courts against accepting unsolicited gifts, warning that such actions could expose them to petitions and erode public confidence in the judiciary.
The CJN gave the warning at the opening of an induction course for newly appointed judges in Abuja on Tuesday.
Represented by the Administrator of the National Judicial Institute (NJI), Justice Babatunde Adejumo, Kekere-Ekun urged the judges to uphold the highest standards of integrity and ensure the speedy and fair dispensation of justice.
She said judicial officers must remain above reproach in both their official and personal conduct.
“Most importantly, do not allow unsolicited gifts. You must equally avoid throwing unnecessary birthday parties. People will seize the opportunity to bring unsolicited gifts that can lead to petitions,” she said.
The CJN also advised the judges to work harmoniously with court officials, including registrars and exhibit keepers, while maintaining professionalism in the discharge of their duties.
She urged them to familiarise themselves with court rules to avoid being misled by legal practitioners and cautioned against the excessive use of contempt powers.
“You must work harmoniously with all the officials under you and ensure that you manage them diplomatically and technically. Read the rules of court so that lawyers will not take you for a ride,” she said.
Kekere-Ekun stressed that prompt and fair determination of cases was essential to sustaining public trust in the nation’s judicial system.
In his remarks, Justice Adejumo congratulated the new judges on their appointments, describing their elevation to the Bench as a significant responsibility in upholding constitutional supremacy, the rule of law and access to justice.
He said the induction programme was designed to equip participants with knowledge of judicial ethics, courtroom management, substantive and procedural law, and the practical skills required for effective adjudication.
Adejumo noted that the lower courts remain the first point of contact for most Nigerians seeking justice and play a critical role in the effective administration of the country’s judicial system.
He urged the judges to make the most of the training as they prepare to assume their responsibilities on the Bench.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Tuesday, July 7, handed over 1,452 items recovered from proceeds of crime to the Federal Ministry of Education to support schools across the country.
The recovered items, comprising 501 double-step bunk beds, 939 mattresses and 12 wooden beds with mattresses, were formally presented to the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, at a ceremony in Abuja by the Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede.
Speaking at the event, Olukoyede said the items were recovered during the commission’s “Operation Eagle Flush,” a nationwide operation conducted in late 2024 against cybercrime and other financial offences.
He described the operation as the largest single operation ever undertaken by the commission.
According to him, the operation led to the arrest of 792 suspects, including 193 foreign nationals, all of whom were investigated, prosecuted and convicted before the foreign nationals were deported after serving their jail terms.
Olukoyede said the decision to transfer the recovered items to the education ministry was in line with the Federal Government’s resolve to channel recovered assets into projects that directly benefit Nigerians.
The EFCC chairman noted that the handover was not the first intervention from recovered assets directed at the education sector.
He recalled that a forfeited university was previously transferred to the Federal Government and converted into the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia.
Olukoyede also said recovered proceeds of crime had supported the establishment of the student loan scheme through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
He stated that more than 1.4 million students had benefited from the initiative, arguing that improved access to education would help reduce the attraction of cybercrime among young Nigerians.
He added that the commission would continue to recover proceeds of crime and ensure they were deployed transparently.
Receiving the items, Alausa commended the EFCC chairman for adopting a proactive approach to tackling corruption, particularly procurement-related offences and cybercrime.
He described education as central to the Federal Government’s economic agenda and said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had deliberately directed recovered assets towards strengthening the sector.
The minister disclosed that the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, admitted about 3,000 students in its first academic session and is expected to increase its intake to over 5,000 students in its second year.
He also revealed that the initial N50 billion seed funding for the Nigerian Education Loan Fund came from recovered proceeds of crime.
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