Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed November 25, 2025, for the commencement of the trial of former Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano over alleged N4 billion fraud charges.
Gatekeepers News reports that the case was adjourned after Justice Mohammed Umar rose following a busy court session.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Obiano on January 24, 2024, on a nine-count charge, accusing him of diverting N4 billion from the state’s security vote account during his tenure as governor from March 2014 to March 2022. Obiano allegedly directed the diversion of funds through companies with no business relationship with the Anambra government, which were then converted to dollars.
During previous proceedings, the EFCC presented several witnesses, including bank officials and Bureau De Change (BDC) operators. Ugochukwu Otubelu, a former commercial bank staff member, testified about managing the security vote account under Obiano’s administration, revealing that funds were funneled into six company accounts without benefiting the account holders directly.
Another key witness, Ayuba Tanko, a BDC operator, testified on November 13, 2024, that he received N416 million into a company account by proxy and returned it as $1.137 million equivalent. Under cross-examination, Tanko stated he had no direct dealings with Obiano.
The case was reassigned to Justice Umar following the suspension of the previous judge, Inyang Ekwo, by the National Judicial Council (NJC).
Given the change in judges, the trial will commence afresh on November 25.
