News
Police Continue Prosecution of Joseph, Alleged Blackmailer of Zinox
The Nigerian Police is to continue the prosecution of a case involving Benjamin Joseph, an Enugu indigene and self-acclaimed managing director of an Ibadan-based company, Citadel Oracle Concepts Ltd., who is alleged to have resorted to blackmail and threats against Leo Stan Ekeh, chairman, Zinox Technologies, and other senior Management staff – Mrs. Chioma Ekeh, Barr. Chris Eze Ozims and Mrs. Folashade Oyebode – of sister company, Technology Distributions Ltd (TD).
This was the verdict delivered by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Apo, Abuja at the resumed hearing on February 28, 2017.
Joseph is currently standing trial before the court on a one-count charge of “false petitioning” with intention of misleading the Police over a case of identity theft, impersonation and criminal conversion of contract after accusing Technology Distributions of conspiring with the other officials to hijack a contract for the supply of HP laptops awarded by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and defrauding the Federal Government.
Interestingly, detailed investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which conducted searches at the FIRS office, and the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigerian Police confirmed that the laptops were indeed supplied and receipted by the FIRS and their serial numbers and actual users noted.
Joseph had subsequently embarked on a solo media campaign on sensational online platform, Premium Times, after several credible print and online media who investigated his claims and found them to be unfounded refused to publish.
At the resumed hearing, Joseph’s defence team led by K.S. Olutekumi had opposed the appearance of the Prosecution counsel Simon Lough on the ground that the Attorney General’s office had taken over the prosecution at the last adjourned date of December 7, 2016.
The Prosecution Counsel, citing the Supreme Court decision in Marcel Nnakwe Vs. The State (2013) 18 NWLR, argued that a party has the absolute right to choose the counsel to represent it and that, since the case was instituted by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the IGP can choose its counsel. The prosecutor further informed the court that he was in possession of a letter by the Attorney General to the IGP informing the police to continue with the prosecution of the accused person, Mr. Joseph.
In a brief ruling, the Judge, U.P. Kekemeke of Court 14 FCT, upheld the submissions of the Police Prosecutor, especially on the strength of the letter of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice of the Federation to the Inspector-General of Police to continue with the prosecution. The honourable judge stated that the accused person cannot choose his prosecutor. He finally ordered a continuation of trial.
Mr. Joseph’s prosecution had risen from a business transaction between Citadel Oracle Concept Limited and their appointed representatives, Princess Kama and Chief Onny Igbokwe, when they won a contract like several companies for the supply of HP laptops to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
Having no funds to execute the contract, his representatives had approached TD, an authorized HP distributor and the biggest ICT distributor in Sub-Saharan Africa, to supply them the laptops on credit pending payment by FIRS.
In view of previous bad experience and in order to avoid exposing the business to bad loans, TD had nominated its staff – Mr. Chris Eze Ozims and Mrs. Shade Oyebode – to be signatories to an account opened for the purpose of disbursement of funds as regards the contract, solely as security for the laptops supplied on credit.
Upon payment of the sum for the contract, TD had gone ahead to deduct the invoiced sum of the supplied laptops and had its staff resign as signatories to the account.
After a disagreement between Joseph and his representatives over the sharing of the proceeds and having allegedly failed with threats and blackmail attempts against the officials of Zinox and TD, with a view to extortion, Mr. Joseph had petitioned the Police authorities that his signature was forged to execute the contract.
Since the crux of the matter was the denial by Mr. Joseph of not signing the Board Resolution to open the account with which the FIRS remitted payment for the supplied HP laptops, of which Mr. Ozims and Mrs. Oyebode were signatories on behalf of TD, the Police sent the documents for forensic analysis to determine its veracity.
The evidence proved that the documents were not forged, and were actually signed by him. Hence, the warrants of arrest the Police had issued against Mr. Ozims (a First Class lawyer and Company Secretary of TD) and Mrs. Oyebode (a Chartered Accountant and Executive Director of TD) based on Joseph’s complaints were made on misleading information and ought not to have been issued.
Based on the discovery that the said documents were not forged and the computers were duly delivered to FIRS, the Police charged Mr. Joseph to court with Charge Number CR/216/16 before the FCT High Court, Abuja.
Under cross examination at the resumed hearing, the Prosecution Witness 1, Princess Kama, reaffirmed that the defendant accompanied her to submit the account opening package including the board resolution at the Garki II branch of Access Bank Plc.
She stated that the defendant was to have the benefit of one lot which is N5.7m but later insisted on the profits and capital of the entire contract award as against their earlier agreement.
She informed the court that she is not a director or shareholder of Citadel Oracle Concepts Ltd but had an authority letter to act for the company in respect of the award with FIRS.
In an earlier hearing of the case before the Court, Princess who said she refused to marry Joseph over 12 years ago when he proposed to her when they were worshipping in same church, also confirmed that she has been helping Joseph bid for contracts because of her expertise.
She had, therefore, expressed her pain and disappointment about Joseph’s continued blackmail of the officers of Technology Distributions, knowing very well that without the support of TD, they wouldn’t have executed the contract.
More bewildering is his continued media campaign against Zinox Technologies Limited and its Chairman, Leo Stan Ekeh, neither of whom was in any way connected with the transaction leading to the proceedings.
The trial has been adjourned to the April 27, 2017 for continuation.
New data from CFA Society Nigeria is reshaping how the country’s financial sector thinks about talent development, with Access emerging as the single largest source of CFA candidates in Nigeria, distinction industry watchers say signals a deeper shift in how leading institutions are building investment expertise from within.
In its Where Nigeria’s Finance Professionals Work series, published in a national daily, CFA Society Nigeria placed Access first among employers of CFA candidates nationwide, with 82 candidates enrolled in the programme, more than double the 38 recorded at the next-placed institution and well ahead of every other bank or financial services firm on the list.
Access also ranked second among employers of CFA charterholders, with 11 professionals who have completed all three levels of the Programme and met its experience and ethics requirements.
For an industry that has long measured itself by balance sheet size and branch count, the rankings point to a different kind of competition: one over who is building the deepest bench of certified, globally credentialed talent.
CFA Society Nigeria compiled the data from its Salesforce Membership Database as at June 2026, and described the exercise as a way of recognising employers whose people “bring rigour, integrity and global best practices into the workplace every day.”
Analysts following the sector say the outcome is notable less for the ranking itself than for what it suggests about talent strategy across Africa’s financial services industry. A single institution developing more aspiring charterholders than the rest of the market combined raises the floor for professional standards nationally, not just within one balance sheet.
Every candidate who advances through the CFA Programme adds to a shared pool of ethics-trained, analytically rigorous professionals that Nigeria’s capital markets, pension funds and asset managers all eventually draw from.
Access Holdings Group Chief Executive Officer Innocent C. Ike, commenting on the rankings, framed the achievement in terms of institution-building rather than recruitment: “Every candidate on that list represents our commitment to building institutions and professionals that endure.”
The remark echoes a broader thesis increasingly voiced by market observers, that talent depth, not scale alone, is what will determine which African financial institutions earn lasting global credibility.
That distinction sits at the centre of Access’s stated ambition to become the World’s Most Respected African Financial Services Group. If the CFA numbers are any indication, the Group’s route to that goal runs less through square metres of branch network and more through the calibre of the people sitting inside it, a bet that Nigeria’s finance professionals, and the institutions that will one day hire them, are already placing alongside Access.
Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced plans to introduce Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) baggage tracking technology across domestic and international airport terminals to tackle the growing problem of delayed, misrouted and missing luggages
Michael Achimugu, director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCAA, disclosed this at a stakeholder engagement forum in Lagos.
Achimugu said the RFID-enabled system would replace the traditional barcode-based baggage tracking framework and provide airlines and passengers with real-time visibility of checked luggage from check-in to final collection.
According to him, the technology would improve baggage traceability, reduce mishandling and strengthen accountability across the baggage-handling chain.
Unlike conventional barcode systems, RFID technology allows baggage to be automatically scanned at multiple points without requiring direct line of sight, enabling real-time tracking of luggage throughout its journey.
Achimugu said issues involving short-landed, missing, lost or damaged baggage had remained among the major complaints from air travellers, alongside flight delays.
He said the introduction of RFID technology was therefore aimed at improving baggage-handling standards and restoring passenger confidence in the aviation sector.
The NCAA said the initiative also aligns with IATA Resolution 753, which requires airlines to track baggage at key points during the passenger journey.
The authority expects the technology to provide more accurate information on the location of luggage, facilitate quicker resolution of baggage-related complaints and improve the overall passenger experience.
The NCAA said the initiative would also strengthen accountability among airlines and other stakeholders involved in baggage handling at Nigerian airports.
eTranzact International Plc has called for increased adoption of digital payment solutions among micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), saying access to technology is critical to improving business efficiency, financial inclusion and growth.
The company also said it was deepening its partnership with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) to expand digital access and financial literacy among small businesses across the country.
In a statement, the Divisional Head, Merchant Services, eTranzact, Mrs. Abimbola Reis, stated this at the SMEDAN/eTranzact Town Hall Engagement in Lagos recently, themed, “Financial Literacy and Inclusion for MSMEs Leveraging on Fintech Innovation.”
Reis described MSMEs as the backbone of Nigeria’s economy, noting that the sector comprises almost 40 million businesses and contributes significantly to economic growth and job creation.
However, she said many businesses continue to face challenges including limited access to finance, inefficient payment systems, weak financial reporting, cash-flow constraints and inadequate access to digital platforms.
She added that trust concerns also affect businesses’ ability to access finance, while heavy reliance on cash increases exposure to theft and makes payment reconciliation more difficult.
Representing the Director-General of SMEDAN, Prof. Yinka Fisher said the town hall was aimed at generating practical ideas and solutions that would support the growth and expansion of MSMEs.
“The essence of this engagement is to share ideas and concepts that will help MSMEs thrive and expand. Our partnership with eTranzact is about expanding the frontiers of MSMEs and ensuring they continue to grow,” he said.
Also speaking, representative of the Director-General of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Dr. Praise Adedigba said businesses could no longer depend solely on hard work to remain competitive.
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