Court Dismisses N8.5bn Fraud Case Against Ex-NIMASA DG

Ayokunle Faji, Justice of the Federal High Court in Lagos, on Monday, discharged and acquitted the former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Patrick Akpobolokemi, from alleged N8,537,586, 798.58 billion fraud case.
The court also cleared NIMASA employee, Josephine Otuaga, citing lack of sufficient evidence from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to establish a case against them.
Akpobolokemi’s lawyer, Joseph Nwobike argued for his client’s acquittal, highlighting the prosecution’s failure to link Akpobolokemi to the alleged crimes despite presenting witnesses and evidence.
Faji emphasized the necessity of credible evidence in establishing guilt, noting that only one witness directly implicated Akpobolokemi out of the 11 presented. With insufficient evidence, the court discharged Akpobolokemi, stating that it cannot pursue evidence that doesn’t exist.