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Court jails man on FBI-wanted list 3 years for N22m fraud in Lagos

June 15, 2022

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The Lagos Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured the conviction and sentencing of one Adekunle Abiodun Aderibigbe, who was on the watch list of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos

Aderibigbe, a member of a syndicate operating in the United States, specialises in stealing of United States citizens’ data to obtain fraudulent tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service, IRS.

The defendant, alongside other members of the syndicate, perpetrated the fraud through the help of one Curtis Betley serving a jail-term in the U.S. to steal the identities of American nationals and use the same to file over 255 fraudulent tax fund returns with the IRS, making over $1.6million.

The EFCC, acting on the FBI report and after diligent investigation, arrested Aderibigbe.

He was subsequently arraigned on August 5, 2020 on an amended five-count charge bordering on retention of proceeds of criminal conduct, contrary to Section 17 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Establishment Act 2004, and impersonation, contrary to Section 378 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

One of the counts reads: “Adekunle Abiodun Aderibigbe, sometime between the year 2014 and 2016 in Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division of this Honourable Court, retained in your control the aggregate sum of N22,000,000 only in your GTB bank account, being proceeds of criminal conduct on behalf of Olumiyiwa Olawoye, Adekunle Adegunroye, Keke Animahun (all at large).”

Another count reads: “Adekunle Abiodun Aderibigbe, sometime between 2013 and 2016 in Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, opened an email account abbeya333@yahoo.com linked to your GSM number 0803366089 and 08059985552 and hid your identity by falsely representing yourself to unsuspecting members of the public as tax collector in the United States of America, which pretence you knew was false.”

He pleaded “not guilty” to the charge preferred against him.

During the trial, the prosecution counsel, Ahmed Yerima, who opened his case on August 24, 2020, called three witnesses and tendered several documents that were admitted in evidence against the defendant by the court.

The defence opened its case on October 3, 2021, with the defendant taking to the dock to defend himself.

Delivering judgment on Friday, June 10, 2022, Justice Taiwo held that the money traced to the defendant was the proceeds of crime, as he failed to prove its source sufficiently.

He was found guilty as charged for the offence of retention of proceeds of criminal conduct and sentenced to two years, with an option of N2m fine.

He was also ordered to restitute the sum of N8million.

He was, however, discharged and acquitted over the offence of impersonation.

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Opinion

Suspension of Mike Ozekhome SAN: A Hasty Decision By The LPPC And The Prejudicial Effect Of Same

by Newsdesk Africa

June 26, 2026

By Sheriff. C. ADELE, Esq On June 23, 2026, the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC), at its 173rd General Meeting, approved the suspension of Chief Mike Ozekhome from the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). The suspension, announced pursuant to Paragraph 26(6) of the Guidelines for the Conferment of the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is to remain in force pending the final determination of disciplinary proceedings before the LPPC’s Disciplinary and Ethics Sub-Committee. While the LPPC asserts that the suspension is intended to "safeguard the integrity, dignity and prestige of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria", this decision raises profound concerns about procedural propriety, jurisdictional overreach, and the prejudicial effect it portends for both the legal profession and the administration of justice. This article critically examines the hasty decision of the LPPC, its implications, and why it constitutes a premature verdict that undermines the very principles of natural justice the legal profession is sworn to uphold. Chief Mike Ozekhome, a prominent constitutional lawyer and human rights advocate, is currently facing disciplinary proceedings before the LPPC’s Disciplinary and Ethics Sub-Committee. The proceedings relate to his involvement in a controversial property dispute in the United Kingdom concerning a property located at 79 Randall Avenue, London. Chief Ozekhome is also standing trial before an FCT High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on a 12-count charge, to which he has pleaded not guilty. What is particularly significant and troubling is that the same issues before the LPPC are also pending before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), the body statutorily charged with the responsibility of sanctioning legal practitioners for professional misconduct. The LPDC is yet to make any determination on the substantive allegations against chief Ozekhome. Yet, the LPPC has proceeded to impose a suspension that, in practical effect, constitutes a pre-determinative sanction. The Distinct Jurisdictions of the LPPC and LPDC To appreciate the gravity of the LPPC’s decision, it is essential to understand the distinct and separate roles of the LPPC and the LPDC under Nigerian law. The LPPC is a statutory body established under Section 5 of the Legal Practitioners Act. Its primary function is to consider and determine eligible applicants for the conferment of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Chaired by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the LPPC is also empowered to make rules as to the privileges to be accorded to Senior Advocates of Nigeria. While the LPPC has disciplinary powers over SAN holders, these powers are ancillary to its primary function of conferring and regulating the rank. The LPPC's disciplinary authority is derived from its guidelines, including Paragraph 26(6) of the Guidelines for the Conferment of the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria. However, this authority is limited to matters pertaining to the rank itself and the privileges associated with it. The LPDC, by contrast, is a committee of the Body of Benchers established under Section 10 of the Legal Practitioners Act. Its mandate is far broader and more fundamental: it is the primary disciplinary body for all legal practitioners in Nigeria. The LPDC exercises jurisdiction over all lawyers called to the Nigerian Bar and is empowered to investigate allegations of professional misconduct and impose sanctions ranging from admonition to suspension and disbarment. The Critical Distinction The distinction between these two bodies is not merely academic, it is fundamental to the proper administration of justice in the legal profession. The LPPC is primarily a conferring and privilege-regulating body. The LPDC is the disciplinary body par excellence. While the LPPC may have incidental disciplinary powers over SAN holders, these powers cannot supplant or pre-empt the primary disciplinary jurisdiction of the LPDC. When the same issues are pending before both bodies, as they are in chief Ozekhome’s case, the LPDC’s determination on professional misconduct must logically precede any disciplinary sanction from the LPPC. The LPPC cannot independently determine facts of professional misconduct that are the exclusive province of the LPDC. The Hasty Decision: A Premature Verdict The LPPC’s decision to suspend chief Ozekhome from the rank of SAN pending the conclusion of disciplinary proceedings is, with respect, a hasty and premature verdict that suffers from several fundamental flaws. Procedural Impropriety ...