The Inspector General of Police (IGP) has filed a second amended charge against Lagos businessman Chief Joseph Umezugha and his two companies, Saint Joes International Agency Limited and De Jessicas Global Hotel and Suites Limited. The eight-count charge, filed before the Federal High Court in Lagos, includes allegations of conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence, forgery, and providing false information to the police. The case, which began in 2023, is adjourned until September 25, 2025, for the continuation of the trial.
A team of legal officers—Kyije Roland Abang and Ibukunoluwa Olu Jacobs—from the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, Kafaru Tinubu House, Shehu Shagari Way, Abuja, filed the amended charge on behalf of the IGP. They alleged that Chief Umezugha, acting as Managing Director of the two companies, along with others still at large, committed the offenses between June and November 2021.
Allegations of Fraud and Forgery
According to the charge, the defendants, with the intent to defraud, obtained ₦185 million from Ifeanyi Collinus Ogbuji, the Managing Director/CEO of Colbex Systems Limited. The defendants allegedly solicited the money, which was paid into Fidelity Bank account number 5020049506 belonging to Saint Joes International Agency Limited, on the understanding that they would use it to complete a building for De Jessicas Global Hotel and Suites Limited, with Ogbuji becoming a partner in the hotel project.
The police, however, claimed the representation was false. The prosecution further alleged that the defendants diverted the funds for their personal use and also engaged in forgery. They specifically accused them of forging a document titled “Ordinary Resolution of De Jessicas Global Hotel and Suites Limited RC 1690930,” dated June 21, 2021.
False Information and Legal Consequences
Chief Umezugha and his companies also allegedly published damaging and false information about Chief Ogbuji by supplying misleading written information to the Deputy Inspector General of Police. The Deputy Inspector General then referred the information to the Special Weapons and Tactical Unit (SWAT), Area 3, Abuja, for investigation.
The offenses, according to the charge, violate Sections 8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, as well as Section 124(1)(b)(2)(a) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention) Act, 2025. These charges highlight the serious nature of the allegations and the legal framework under which the police are pursuing the case.
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