The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has arraigned the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Lexicon Multiconcept Media Limited, Osabohem Alex Ologbosele, his company and one of his staff, Augustine Osas Iyoha before Justice E. Akpan of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
They were arraigned on a six- count amended charge bordering on fraud, obtaining under false pretense and money laundering to the tune of N459,050,000.
Before the charges were read to accused persons, the prosecuting Counsel, O.S Ujam, informed the Court of her intention to substitute the initial charges filed on March 7, 2025, with the amended charge filed on March 10, 2025. The Court granted her request to substitute the charges.
The defendants pleaded not guilty after the charges were read to them.
Following the “not guilty” plea, Ujam asked the Court for an adjournment to enable the prosecution to open its case and call witnesses. The Defence Counsel, Samuel Ogala, drew the attention of the Court to an application for bail for the first and second defendant which was filed on March 24, 2025 and the second application for the 3rd defendant, dated March 27, 2025, urging the Court in the interest of justice to grant the accused persons bail on liberal terms.
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In reply, the Prosecution Counsel, Ujam told the Court of a 17 paragraph affidavit in response to the counter-affidavit of the defence dated April 2, 2025 and filed same date in opposition to the application for bail, urging the Court to deny the application on the ground that the defendants are flight risks, who stopped reporting to the EFCC office for months and may fail to appear for their trial if granted bail.
Justice Akpan after listening to the arguments on bail application, adjourned the matter till May 2, 2025, for ruling on the bail application, and ordered that the defendants be remanded in the Kuje Correctional centre.
(Editor: Ken Eseni)
