Court Slams N5bn Bail On Ponzi Scheme Operator, Ajetunmobi Over Alleged N15bn Fraud

A Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos has ordered an alleged Ponzi scheme operator, Bamise Ajetunmobi, to deposit the sum of N5 billion into the court’s Deputy Chief Registrar (DCR) account, as part of his bail conditions.

Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke also ordered the Ponzi scheme operator to deposit his international traveling passport with the court’s DCR.

The judge made the orders while ruling on the bail application of the defendant.

The defendant alongside his company, Imagine Global Solution Limited, were charged before before the court on amended 35 counts charge of conspiracy, and obtaining the sum of N15 billion, by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).

Both the Ponzi scheme operator and his company were rearraigned before the court on Thursday, on the charges.

The prosecutor, Mrs. Kehinde Bode-Ayeni, an Assistant Chief State Counsel, in the AGF’s told the court, while re-arraigning the defendant told the court that the defendant committed the offences between February 2018 to December 2022, at his office complex located at plot 29a, Adebisi Ogunniyi Crescent, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.

Mrs. Bode-Ayeni also told the court that among those allegedly defrauded by the defendant and the amounts he defrauded them were: Abioye Idiris, N3. 5 billion; Chikezie Nowokocha (April Breakthrough Ventures) N1. 760,740 billion; Edith Agu and her three friends, N236,500 million; and Mr. Peter Okonye and his wife, Mrs. Thelma Okonye, N1. 2 billion, and 31 others.

She told the court that the alleged offences contravened sections 8(a) and 1(1)(a) of the advance fee fraud and other fraud related offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 8 and 8 read in conjunction with section 1(3) of the same Act.

However, the defendant has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges, consequently, Justice Aneke took arguments on the bail application yesterday while adjourned the rulling ot it today.

Ruling on the bail application today, Justice Aneke, after citing plethoras of legal authorites examined the submissions made both by the prosecutor and the defendant’s lawyer, held “that the prosecutor had made a credible submission that the defendant is a ‘flight risk’, as he was arrested by the interpol at Ivory Coast, but bail is his constitutional rights.”

The judge consequently ordered the defendant to deposit the sum of N5 billion to the court’s DCR’s and also to deposit his international traveling passport.

The judge thereafter, adjourned the matter till March 13 and 14, 2024, for commencement of trial.

Some of the charges against the defendant reads: “That you, Imagine Global Solutions Ltd of Plot 29(a), Adebisi Ogunniyi Crescent, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, Lagos State, Bamise Samson Ajetunmobi ‘M’, the Managing Director of Imagine Global Solutions Ltd and others (now at large), sometimes in December, 2018 and 2022, at Lagos, Lagos State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while acting as investors, did, with the intent to defraud, obtained a total sum of N3,500,000,000.00 (Three Billion five hundred Million Naira) at different times, from Abioye Idiris on the pretext that you were going to invest the money for him and remit some percentage of the total sum to him on monthly basis as interest while the principal sum would be returned to him in full at the end of the tenure, a representation which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance fee fraud and other Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.

“That you, Imagine Global Solutions Ltd of Plot 29(a), Adebisi Ogunniyi Crescent, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, Lagos State, Bamise Samson Ajetunmobi ‘M’, the Managing Director of Imagine Global Solutions Ltd and others (now at large), sometimes between December 2020 and July, 2021, at Lagos, Lagos State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while acting as investors, did, with the intent to defraud, obtained a total sum of N1,760,740,000.00(One Billion, Seven Hundred and Sixty Million, Seven hundred and Forty thousand Naira) at different times, from Chikezie Nowokocha (April Breakthrough Ventures), on the pretext that you were going to invest the money for him and remit some percentage of the total sum to him on monthly basis as interest, while the principal sum would be returned to him in full at the end of the tenure, a representation which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance fee fraud and other Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.

“That you, Imagine Global Solutions Ltd of Plot 29(a), Adebisi Ogunniyi Crescent, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, Lagos State, Bamise Samson Ajetunmobi ‘M’, the Managing Director of Imagine Global Solutions Ltd and others (now at large),sometimes between the period of April, to September, 2021, at Lagos, Lagos State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while acting as investors, did, with the intent to defraud, obtained a total sum of N236, 500, 000.00 (Two Hundred and Thirty Six Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira) at different times, from Edith Agu and her three friends, on the pretext that you were going to invest the money for them and remit some percentage of the money to them as ‘interest’ monthly, while the principal sum would be returned to them in full at the end of the tenure, a representation which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance fee fraud and other Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.

“That you, Imagine Global Solutions Ltd of Plot 29(a), Adebisi Ogunniyi Crescent, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, Lagos State, Bamise Samson Ajetunmobi ‘M’, the Managing Director of Imagine Global Solutions Ltd and others (now at large),sometimes between December 2020 and July, 2021, at Lagos, Lagos State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while acting as investors, did, with the intent to defraud, obtained a total sum of N1, 200, 000, 000. 00 (One Billion, Two Hundred Million Naira) at different times, from MR. Peter Okonye, his wife, Mrs. Thelma Okonye and others, on the pretext that you were going to invest the money for them and remit some percentage of the money to them as interest monthly, while the principal sum would be returned to them on maturity or end of the tenure, a representation which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance fee fraud and other Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.”