DR Jude Ndudi, a businessman, has narrated before a Federal High Court, Lagos, how a former bank manager, Fidelis Egueke, allegedly plotted a kidnap scheme, threatened to kill him and later defrauded him of over N100 million in a failed business deal.
He made the revelation during continuation of the former banker’s trial before Justice Alexander Owoeye.
The charge was filed against him by the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Annex Alagbon, lkoyi Lagos.
Egueke is on trial for offences bordering on conspiracy, fraud, unlawful conversion, obtaining by false pretence, unauthorised withdrawal and forgery, in an amended charge numbered FHC/L/298c/2020.
Recounting the alleged deception, the prosecution witness, while being led by the prosecutor, Morufu Animashaun, in his testimony, told the court that he arrived in Lagos on December 4, 2018, from the United States of America (U.S.A.) for a planned Lagos meeting and contacted the defendant to arrange for the meeting with businessman, Great Ogboru, regarding a loan.
But the defendant, he alleged, kept changing the meeting venue under suspicious circumstances.
“I was first told by the defendant that Ogboru had travelled to Delta State and that the meeting would hold in Asaba. When I arrived Asaba the next day, the defendant told me Ogboru had left for Warri and wanted us to meet there,” he stated.
He told the court that he declined the request to travel to Warri for security reasons, and insisted the meeting should take place in Asaba, Lagos or Abuja.
The witness also told the court that moments later, he received a call from Turner Ogboru informing him that the meeting will take place in Lagos, only to discover that Great Ogboru never left Lagos in the first place.
“The defendant was allegedly sending me to Warri, where he is from, to be kidnapped for ransom,” the witness claimed.
On the alleged N100 million loan deal, the businessman told the court that on 7th December, 2018, the defendant took him to Great Ogboru’s office in Ikoyi, where he was persuaded to provide a N100 million loan, saying the money was needed for Customs clearance of a shipment of frozen fish allegedly arriving at Port Harcourt.
The witness also told the court that as condition for the N100 million loan to Fiogret, the defendant’s relative company, would provide post-dated cheques as collateral in the sum of N110 million.
He also said the defendant assured him that he was in control of Ogboru’s N1.7 billion in his bank and would use it as collateral for the N110 million loan.
However, the witness said he later discovered that the ship carrying the fish and the cargo itself did not exist; same thing with the N1.7 billion.
Meanwhile, Justice Owoeye adjourned the matter till July 9, 2026, for further hearing.
Egueke was first arraigned before Justice (Prof) Chuka Obiozor in November 2020, on two previous amended charges of three and 14 counts of conspiracy, fraud, unlawful conversion, obtaining by false pretence and unauthorised withdrawal.
He was again re-arraigned before Justice Tijjani Ringim on August 7, 2022, on the same counts, after Justice Obiozor was transferred out of Lagos jurisdiction of the court.
Due to Ringim’s transfer, the case file was taken over by Justice Kehinde Ogundare. Also, he was re-arraigned before Justice Owoeye, upon the transfer of Ogundare.
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