Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced Fidelix Samuel Ebuka to eight years and three months’ imprisonment for laundering N90.99 million in proceeds of unlawful activities.
Ebuka was prosecuted by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 14-count charge bordering on the retention of proceeds of crime amounting to N90,989,517.
According to the EFCC, the convict, on or about April 15, 2026, retained the funds in his Union Bank account, which he reasonably ought to have known were proceeds of unlawful activities, contrary to the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
He was arraigned on June 10, 2026, and initially pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
However, when the matter resumed on July 8, 2026, Ebuka changed his plea to guilty, prompting the prosecution counsel, Bilkisu Buhari, to urge the court to convict and sentence him in line with the law.
In his judgment delivered on Friday, Justice Bogoro convicted the defendant and sentenced him to eight years and three months’ imprisonment, with an option of an N8.5 million fine.
The judge also ordered the convict to perform two weeks of community service in respect of count 14.
As part of the judgment, the court directed the forfeiture of several assets linked to the offence to the Federal Government. The assets include an iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone XR, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13 Pro Max, a Mercedes-Benz G65, a 2014 Mercedes-Benz ML, a gold chain and two HP laptops.
The conviction is part of the EFCC’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the enforcement of Nigeria’s anti-money laundering laws and recover assets derived from illicit financial activities.
