Kemisola Oye
A Lagos Federal High Court presided over by Justice Akintayo Aluko was on Tuesday (yesterday) told of how a convicted drug Baron, Steve Adigwe (also known as Isioma Obobo) received huge sums of money from the illicit trade, laundered same and attempted to disguise the origin of the said money running into over Four Hundred Million Naira (N400,000,000.00).
The convicted drug baron is being prosecuted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for the alleged illegal importation of 75.75 Kilograms of Cannabis Indica, which he allegedly hid in two vehicles, a Lincoln Navigator and a Toyota Yaris both concealed in a 40 ft container number MSCUS33668-0.
He was on 3 March 2023, convicted and sentenced to three years imprisonment by the same court, for trafficking in cocaine.
He was however ordered to pay an option of a fine of Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500,000,00) in lieu of the jail term.
However, the convicted drug lord was again re-arraigned on 29 June 2023 before the court in a fresh charge marked FHC/L/108c/2023, on another 10 counts charge of trafficking in 75.75 Kilograms of Cannabis Indica, a prohibited substance similar to cocaine, heroin and other hard drugs.
At the resumed trial of the convicted drug lord yesterday, an NDLEA officer, Dr Uduo Thomas Achu, who was the 10th prosecution witness in the matter, while being led in evidence by the prosecutor, Mrs O .I. Iwuchukwu narrated to the court how the convicted drug baron made an additional statement on 24 May 2024 to the extent that he is a auto spare parts seller at Tincan Island Port, Lagos.
Dr Achu told the court that based on the information given by the convict, he went to the port to investigate the claim and was informed that the only business done at Tim Can Island Port is importation and exportation of goods and that with the different security agencies, there was no way an individual can carry out the business of buying and selling there.
The witness, in his evidence, added that based on the information obtained from Tin Can Island, he decided to look at the Adigwe’s statement of accounts in order to have an idea of the type of business he was into.
Achu said: “In analysing his four statements of account, Access Bank, Zenith Bank, GTbank and Fidelity Bank, I discovered a pattern of lodgement and transactions that is consistent with money laundering.
“I find out that the lodgement has no legitimate origin,” he said.
The witness added that between 4 August 2021 to 14 December 2022, the ‘defendant’ received and retained a gross total sum of N143 million, from one Emmanuel Chika’s Guaranty Trust Bank Account No 0129693089 into his Guaranty Trust Bank Account No. 0137030218 in several transactions.
Achu further stated that in the course of his investigation, he discovered that Steve Adigwe, between 2 September 2021 and 15 December 2022, transferred a gross total of about N137,530 million from his Guaranty Trust Bank Account No. 0137030218 into his Isinobong Nig. Limited’s Stanbic Bank Corporate Account No. 0039258905 with several transactions, with the aim of concealing or disguising the origin of the funds.
The witness further added that his investigation revealed that the ‘defendant’ accounts are linked to companies without verifiable addresses. “They transact businesses and receive funds without invoices or receipts or known suppliers.
“I also conducted what is called Transaction Tracing on the accounts and discovered that payments were made for drug purchases into Isinobong Nigeria Limited account. The analysis of his phone shows that they were negotiating for price and payments were made, the receipt of the payment was screenshot. I traced the transaction and discovered it was in Calabar, but we couldn’t get the intended target as he was not in the address.”
Achu also added that the frequency of transfer from the ‘defendant’s’ accounts raises questions as to the purpose of the transfer.
Based on the witness evidence before the court, the prosecutor, Mrs O. Iwuchukwu, tendered the statement of accounts of the four banks the witness said he analyzed as well as the additional statement made by the witness.
The four statements of accounts tendered and admitted in evidence by the court are that of Zenith Bank, GTbank, Access Bank and Fidelity Bank and they were all admitted in evidence.
Following the conclusion of the evidence of the prosecution witness, counsel for the convicted drug baron, Chief Benson Ndakara asked for an adjournment to cross-examine the witness.
Justice Akintayo Aluko consequently adjourned further trial of the matter till 10 and 11 June 2024.
Eighteen-Eleven Media