The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has authorised prominent lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, to prosecute Leonard Stanley Ekeh, chairman of the Zinox Group, and his wife, Chioma Ekeh, over allegations of fraudulently hijacking a government contract and embezzling over ₦162 million.

This move revives a long-dormant case that had previously been stalled after Mr Fagbemi’s predecessor, Abubakar Malami, initially granted a similar fiat to Mr Falana but later withdrew it under a nolle prosequi, effectively halting the prosecution and allowing the alleged fraudsters to avoid trial.

“Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, SAN, Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, hereby authorises Mr. Femi Falana of Falana & Falana & Co., 22 Mediterranean Street, Imani Estate, Abuja-FCT, Nigeria, to exercise prosecutorial powers on my behalf,” the AGF stated in the letter of authorisation dated 20 December.

The letter further directed Mr. Falana to ensure a diligent prosecution and provide consistent progress updates to the AGF’s office without delay or obstruction.

The allegations stem from a 2012 contract awarded to Citadel Oracle Concept Limited to supply computers to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) headquarters. Mr Ekeh is accused of fraudulently opening a bank account in the name of Citadel Oracle, forging the signature of its CEO, Benjamin Joseph, to access the contract funds.

Mr Joseph reported the alleged fraud to the police under then-Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase. However, according to Mr Joseph, the police failed to act decisively on his complaint and instead appeared to collude with Mr Ekeh to suppress the matter, citing the Zinox chairman’s significant influence.

Frustrated by the lack of progress, Mr. Joseph petitioned the police, accusing them of sabotaging his attempts to secure justice. In a controversial turn of events, the police, rather than investigating the allegations, charged Mr Joseph with filing a false petition against the Inspector General of Police. The charge, filed on 16 June 2016, just days before Mr Arase’s retirement, effectively turned the whistleblower into the accused.

The case against Mr Joseph dragged on for over five years, while investigations into the alleged contract fraud remained dormant. The situation saw little improvement until AGF Malami briefly intervened, only to later rescind his authorisation to prosecute Mr Ekeh without providing an explanation.

Now, with a fresh directive from AGF Fagbemi, Mr Falana has been empowered to proceed with the prosecution of Mr Ekeh, Chioma Ekeh, and other individuals implicated in the alleged fraud. The co-accused include Chris Eze Ozims, Folashade Oyebode, Princess Kama, Chief Onny Igbokwe, Charles Adigwe, and Osilo Oruoha.

In 2022, Mr Ekeh issued a statement denying any wrongdoing, claiming that investigations conducted by the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had cleared his staff and company of any culpability in the matter.