Ezekiel
Onyedikachukwu ThankGod, (a.k.a Eezee Tee)
The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on
Wednesday, May 7, 2025, arraigned a music promoter, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu ThankGod, (a.k.a Eezee
Tee) before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court sitting in
Ikoyi, Lagos.
ThankGod,
alongside his company, Eezee Global Concepts Limited, is standing trial
on an amended seven-count charge bordering on alleged foreign exchange
malpractice and money laundering to the tune of $397,106( Three Hundred and
Ninety Seven, One Hundred and Six United States Dollars).
The defendant was previously standing trial before Justice Owoeye of the Federal High
Court Ikoyi before the matter was reassigned to Justice Aneke.
One of the counts reads:
“That you, EZEKIEL ONYEDIKACHUWU
THANKGOD and EEZEE GLOBAL CONCEPTS LIMITED, sometime in June 2023 in Lagos,
within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, not being an authorized buyer
of foreign exchange currency appointed by the Central Bank of Nigeria under
Section 5(1) of Foreign Exchange Monitoring and Miscellaneous (Provisions) Act
CAP F34 LFN 2004 negotiated a foreign exchange transaction to wit: the naira
equivalent of the sum of $52,895.00 (Fifty Two Thousand, Eight Hundred Ninety
Five ) with Mr. Oladotun Olaobaju Mureke and you thereby committed an offence
contrary to Section 5 and 29(1)(c) of the Foreign Exchange Monitoring and
Miscellaneous (Provisions) Act Cap F34 LFN 2004 and punishable under Section
29(2) of the same Act.”
Another count reads:
“That you, EZEKIEL ONYEDIKACHUWU
THANKGOD and EEZEE GLOBAL CONCEPTS LIMITED, sometime in 2024 Lagos, within the
jurisdiction of this Honorable Court within the jurisdiction of this Honourable
Court, failed to submit to the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering a
declaration of your activities of the said company within which period the total
sum of $137,383 (One Hundred and Thirty Seven Thousand, Three Hundred and
Eighty Three United States Dollars) paid into EEZEE CONCEPTS LIMITED account
number 5070522520 domiciled in Zenith Bank, and you thereby committed an offence
contrary to Sections 6(1) (a),19(1)(f) of the Money Laundering(Prevention and
Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section19 (2)(b) of the same Act.”
He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges when they were
read to him.
In view of his plea,
prosecution counsel, Bilkisu Buhari-Bala, prayed for a trial date and
also asked that the defendant be remanded in a Correctional Centre.
The defence counsel, Chikaozolu Ojukwu SAN, however,
prayed that his client be granted bail “in the most liberal terms” and be
released to him, if granted bail.
Responding, Buhari-Bala told the court that “The
prosecution filed a 16-paragraph-counter affidavit, deposed to by Mohammed
Adamu, an Investigator with the EFCC, on
the 4th of March 2025, urging the court to refuse the prayers of the defence.”
She argued that the defendant refused to accept
service on several occasions and that all efforts to have him report himself at
the EFCC office proved abortive.
She , therefore, opposed the release of the defendant to his counsel,
adding that the music promoter, who has been on an administrative bail granted
him by the Commission, had not been honouring
further invitations.
Justice Aneke adjourned ruling on the bail application till May 9, 2025 and released the defendant to his counsel.
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