Africa-Press – Nigeria. The suspension of Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Abuja Federal High Court has stalled the money laundering case filed against former Anambra Governor, Willie Obiano, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The National Judicial Council (NJC) suspended Justice Ekwo at its 108th meeting held between April 29 and April 30.
Although the Chief Judge of the FHC, Justice John Tsoho, has directed Justice M. G. Umar from Enugu Judicial Division to take over cases earlier presided over by Justice Ekwo, the new judge is yet to resume work.
A check at the court on Monday showed that sitting was yet to begin as directed by the chief judge.
Obiano was Anambra governor between March 2014 and March 2022.
The former governor, in a nine-count charge, was alleged to have among others, misappropriated over N4 billion from the state’s treasury.
It would be recalled that the EFCC’s lawyer, Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, led two witnesses in evidence in the trial of the ex-governor on October 7, 2024.
A former commercial bank staff, Mr Ugochukwu Otubelu, had revealed how he managed the security vote account under Obiano’s government.
Otubelu, the 3rd prosecution witness (PW-3), said though he was with the bank between November 2, 2008 and March 24, 2023, he is now a businessman.
He said that the signatories to the security vote account were the former principal secretary to the ex-governor, Willy Nwokoye, and the accountant, Theophilus Nweze.
He said he interfaced with them mostly on daily and weekly basis in processing their transactions.
The PW-3, who admitted that funds from the security votes account went into six companies’ account, said the money did not go to the account holders.
The EFCC also called Hayatu Hadejia, a Bureau De Change (BDC) operator as PW-4.
Hadejia told the court that he is a businessman, who runs BDC companies.
He said he had five companies and was invited by the EFCC as part of its investigations into the financial activities of the government of ex-governor Obiano.
Another BDC operator, Ayuba Tanko, on November 13, 2024, said between April and December 2017, a total sum of N416 million was paid into a company’s account he used, by proxy.
Ayuba, who was PW-5, said the N416 million which was received in tranches, was given back as 1.137 million US dollars equivalent.
NAN reports that the NJC slammed a one-year suspension without pay on three serving judicial officers, including a Justice of the Court of Appeal, for various acts of judicial misconduct.
The disciplinary actions were among several key resolutions reached at the Council’s 108th meeting held on April 29 and 30, 2025, under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
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