EFCC Arraigns Two Nigerians, Firm Over Alleged €49m First Bank Fraud Using Forged Documents Linked to Trump’s Former Lawyer
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, has arraigned two individuals, Abel Egerton Sokari and Nkiruka Chukwuma, along with their company, Zakah Global Investment Limited, over an alleged attempt to defraud First Bank of Nigeria to the tune of €49 million.
The trio was brought before Justice Mojisola Dada at the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, on Monday, July 7, 2025. They face a six-count charge, including conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence, forgery, and possession of fraudulent documents.
The EFCC alleges that the defendants falsely claimed that a €49 million transfer had been made from Bayan Investment Bank and Hedge Fund Statutory Trust into an account belonging to Zakah Global Investment Limited at First Bank. They allegedly backed this claim with forged documents, including a fake letter purportedly issued by Steven H. Sado, a U.S. attorney known for his past legal work for former President Donald Trump.
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All three defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Prosecuting counsel H.U. Kofarnaisa requested a trial date and urged the court to remand the suspects. However, defence counsels Clement Onwenwnor, SAN, and Laolu Owolabi, SAN, applied for bail, pledging to ensure their clients meet any conditions imposed.
Justice Dada granted each defendant bail in the sum of ₦500,000 with one surety in like amount and temporarily released them to their lawyers. They have one month to satisfy bail conditions. The case was adjourned to October 29, 2025.
Meanwhile, in a separate case, the EFCC’s Port Harcourt office arraigned Ugochukwu Joseph Nwaemere, Executive Director of Pennhydro-Pell Oil and Gas Limited, over a ₦750 million loan fraud involving Polaris Bank.
According to the EFCC, Nwaemere and an accomplice still at large obtained the loan by presenting a fake invoice allegedly from Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, claiming it was for dredging work on the Bodo-Bonny Road Project. The fraud unraveled when Polaris Bank discovered the invoice was fake and the project contract did not exist, prompting a full EFCC investigation.
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