A Lagos High Court in Ikeja has handed a seven-year prison sentence to Alhaji Mohammed Gobir, a former director at Afromedia Plc, over his involvement in a large-scale financial fraud involving both naira and foreign currencies.
The conviction was delivered by Justice Raliat Adebiyi, who found Gobir guilty on all 17 counts filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The charges ranged from stealing and obtaining money under false pretence to forgery and unlawful possession of fraudulent documents.
The matter dates back to 2016, when Afromedia Plc lodged a formal complaint with the EFCC. The company accused Gobir of engineering a complex fraudulent operation that resulted in massive financial losses—running into hundreds of millions of naira and significant sums in dollars and pounds.
Court documents revealed that Gobir misrepresented himself to gain a seat on Afromedia’s board, falsely pledging to invest N1 billion into the company. Once he secured the position, he allegedly diverted $3.5 million, $514.4 million, $2.1 million, and £51,000 through various deceptive claims.
Prosecutors detailed one particularly audacious claim in which Gobir said he needed $250,000 to obtain a waiver certificate. This, he claimed, was necessary to recover $250 million supposedly being held by anti-money laundering authorities in the United Kingdom.
Justice Adebiyi, however, dismissed this claim outright, labelling it as entirely fabricated and part of an intentional strategy to deceive and exploit the company.
Further revelations during the trial showed that Gobir persuaded Afromedia to release over $514 million. He claimed the funds were needed to facilitate a bogus transfer of $70 million from an imaginary bank account in London.
Gobir’s arrest took place in September 2015 at his residence in Ikoyi, following extensive investigations by the EFCC. Authorities described the case as one of the most intricate examples of corporate fraud ever uncovered in Nigeria’s business landscape.
Delivering her ruling, Justice Adebiyi stated that Gobir’s conduct amounted to a serious breach of trust and fiduciary duty. She noted that his actions represented a calculated effort to abuse his position for personal enrichment.
Reacting to the judgment, the EFCC applauded the ruling, calling it a victory in the ongoing war against economic crimes. The commission emphasized that the outcome served as a clear reminder that no individual, no matter their position or status, is above the law.
Stay updated with more stories like this on our Chronicles Reporters WhatsApp Channel.