The Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled a ruling for March 25 on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s application for the final forfeiture of $13 million linked to Oceangate Engineering Oil & Gas Ltd., a company associated with businesswoman Aisha Achimugu.
Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the case after both the EFCC, represented by Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), and Oceangate’s lawyer, Darlington Ozurumba, presented their arguments.
The EFCC seeks to permanently forfeit the funds to the Federal Government, alleging they are proceeds of unlawful activity used to acquire oil blocks in 2024.
An EFCC investigator, Usman Aliyu, alleged in an affidavit that the company conspired with unlicensed Bureau de Change operators to handle $13 million in cash to meet signature bonus payments.
He claimed funds traced to Lagos State contractors were funneled through third-party accounts, converted to dollars, and transferred to Oceangate.
Oceangate opposed the application through a director, Iliya Wakil, who asserted the funds originated from legitimate earnings and gifts to the company’s CEO.
The company denied any conspiracy, maintaining it lawfully engaged a licensed BDC agent.
The EFCC, in a rebuttal, described Oceangate as a shell company and challenged the validity of its supporting audit report.
Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.
Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.
He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.
Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).
He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.
He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.
Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.
