The Federal Government has filed a 15-count charge against the Chairman of Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh, his wife, Chioma Ekeh, and 11 other individuals and companies over the alleged misappropriation of N162,247,513.80.
The case, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, centers on funds intended for a Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) laptop supply contract. These funds, reportedly domiciled in an Access Bank account, were allegedly siphoned under the guise of payments to Citadel Oracle Concept Limited.
The prosecution, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Femi Falana on behalf of Attorney General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi, accuses the defendants of conspiracy, criminal misappropriation, and money laundering.
A section of the charge sheet reads: “That you, Leo Stan Ekeh, Chioma Ekeh, and others, on or about January 30, 2013, in Abuja, did criminally misappropriate the sum of N162,247,513.80, being proceeds of a laptop supply contract awarded to Citadel Oracle Concept Limited.”
The charges invoke sections of Nigeria’s Penal Code and the Advanced Fee Fraud Act, with penalties including imprisonment for the alleged offenses.
The accused include notable figures like Mr. Chris Eze Ozims, Folashade Oyebode, Charles Adigwe, and Obilo Onuoha. Also named are Zinox Technologies Ltd., Technology Distributions Ltd., and Admas Digital Technologies Ltd. The defendants are accused of opening and operating fraudulent accounts and diverting public funds.
“Evidence suggests a deliberate attempt to divert contract funds through a fictitious bank account,” said a source familiar with the investigation.
The case stems from allegations first raised in 2013 by Benjamin Joseph, Managing Director of Citadel Oracle Concept Limited. Joseph claimed that his company’s contract with FIRS was hijacked by a syndicate involving Zinox officials.
In a petition to then-Deputy Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, Joseph alleged that documents for a fake Access Bank account were forged using his company’s details. Funds from the contract were then disbursed to multiple parties, allegedly under the direction of Chioma Ekeh and other Zinox executives.
“The scale of this fraud is alarming,” Joseph remarked in a 2014 interview. “We’ve spent years fighting for justice.”
Despite findings from the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) that implicated the suspects, Joseph alleged that police actions hindered prosecution. “The police refused to release the case file to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP),” he stated.
Frustrated, Joseph sent reminders to police leadership, including Arase when he became Inspector General of Police. Instead of action against the suspects, Joseph found himself facing a one-count charge of false petitioning.
In 2016, Joseph was arraigned before Justice Peter Kekemeke, but the court discharged and acquitted him in June 2024. The ruling cleared him of wrongdoing and reignited calls for accountability in the fraud case.
The renewed case, filed in November 2024, signals a shift in the government’s stance on corporate fraud. Anti-corruption advocates hailed the move as a step toward holding influential figures accountable.
“This sends a clear message,” said Lagos-based lawyer Olumide Adebayo. “The era of shielding elites from justice is fading.”
