Court Fixes Feb 14 for Arraignment of Mercy Chinwo’s Manager Over Alleged $345,000 Fraud

Wale Igbintade

Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court in Lagos has fixed February 14, 2025, for the  arraignment of Ezekiel Onyedikachi Thankgod, the manager of gospel singer Mercy Chinwo, over an alleged $345,000 fraud.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on January 16, 2025, had sought Thankgod’s’s arrest over allegations of financial mismanagement, including diverting royalties from Chinwo’s digital platforms and events.
According to EFCC counsel, Bilikisu Buhari, Thankgod allegedly misappropriated the funds by failing to remit Chinwo’s share of the earnings.
However when the case came up yesterday, Thankgod’s counsel, Dr. Monday Ubani (SAN),argued that the arrest warrant was unjustified.

He claimed that the matter was a contractual dispute, not a criminal one, and informed the court that Thankgod had filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit against the EFCC before another court to prevent his arrest.
Ubani also told the court that his client had filed a preliminary objection to the charge against him and urged the court to vacate the earlier arrest warrant issued against him.

He also told the court that his client has not been served with any charge by the EFCC.
Responding, EFCC counsel, Buhari told the court that the commission has been unable to arrest the defendant since the court ordered his arrest.
She requested the court’s permission to serve the charge on Thankgod’s lawyer, Dr. Ubani, in the open court and further noted that there might be no need for the arrest warrant since Ubani has accepted the charge on behalf of his client.

Ubani who received the charges on behalf of his client however prayed the court for a date for the court to hear the preliminary objection against the fraud allegation charge.

After listening to the arguments of both counsel, Justice Owoeye said, “In the light of the defendant’s lawyer having accepted service of the charges and the preliminary objection against the charge the court would adjourn to decide on the pending application”.

Consequently the judge adjourned the case to February 14, 2025, for possible arraignment and hearing of pending applications before the court.