A music promoter, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu ThankGod, (a.k.a Eezee Tee), was on Wednesday, May 7, arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos State.
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.
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 charges read: “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 charge read: “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.”
After he pleaded not guilty to the charges, the 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 March 4, 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 had 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.
