A Lagos State High Court has ordered the arrest of Access Bank’s Acting Managing Director, Bolaji Agbede, and three others over allegation of conspiracy, obtaining by false pretence, and fraud totaling N1.356 billion as well as failing to show up in court.
Justice Ibironke Harrison gave the order following a suit filed against Agbede, Balmoral International Limited, DDSS International Company Limited, and Adejare Adegbenro by the Lagos State government.
The Court ruling stems from a 2013 incident where the defendants allegedly used a property belonging to MOB Integrated Services as loan security without consent of the owner.
The charge sheet, signed by the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, Ministry of Justice, Lagos State, listed the charge as ‘conspiracy to commit a felony to wit; stealing contrary to Section 411 of the Criminal Law, Ch. C17, Vol.3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015,’ with the offence said to have been committed on September 2, 2023l
‘Adejare Adegbenro (m), Balmoral International Limited, Access Bank and Bolaji Agbede (m) on or about the 2nd day of September, 2013 at Plot 1261, Adeola Hopewell Street, Victoria Island, Lagos State in the Lagos Judicial Division, conspired to commit a felony to wit; stealing’, the charge reads.
‘Adejare Adegbenro (m), Balmoral International Limited, Access Bank and Bolaji Agbede (m) on or about the 2nd day of September, 2013 at Plot 1261, Adeola Hopewell Street, Victoria Island, Lagos State in the Lagos Judicial Division, stole the property of MOB Integrated Services at Plot 40b, Bourdillion Road, Ikoyi, Lagos by using it as a security for loan without his consent and subsequently entering into a consent judgment’, charge 3 states.
‘Adejare Adegbenro (m), Balmoral International Limited, Access Bank and Bolaji Agbede (m) and DDSS International Company Limited on or about the 26th day of May, 2019 at Plot 1261, Adeola Hopewell Street, Victoria Island, Lagos State in the Lagos Judicial Division, attempted to steal the property of MOB Integrated Services at Plot 40b, Bourdillion Road, Ikoyi, Lagos by offering and granting DDSS International Company Limited a credit facility of N1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira) Only’, count 4 reads.
After the order for the arrest of the defendants, the court scheduled the next hearing on the matter for February 24, 2025.
