EFCC arraigns Ndubisi Kenechukwu Ugonna in Abuja for $500,000 fraud; he pleads not guilty as court remands him in Kuje prison

According to the charge, Ugonna allegedly obtained the sum from one Kofoworola Olagunju in 2020 under false pretence of having the capacity to invest in global security on his behalf.

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The prosecution stated that the investment scheme was fraudulent, contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.

Ugonna pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him. Prosecution counsel Joshua Saidi thereafter requested a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendant in a correctional facility.

Defence counsel, however, pointed out that a bail application had already been filed and asked that Ugonna remain in EFCC custody until its determination.

Justice Okpe adjourned the case to 25 September 2025 for hearing on the bail application and ordered that the defendant be remanded in the Kuje Correctional Centre.

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The arraignment underscores the EFCC’s ongoing drive to tackle financial crimes, with Ugonna’s case adding to the string of high-profile fraud trials pending before Nigerian courts.