Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday, July 17, 2026, convicted and sentenced Fidelix Samuel Ebuka to eight years and three months’ imprisonment for money laundering.
Ebuka was arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, on a 14-count charge bordering on the retention of proceeds of unlawful activities amounting to N90,989,517 (Ninety Million, Nine Hundred and Eighty-Nine Thousand, Five Hundred and Seventeen Naira).
One of the counts reads: “That you, Fidelix Samuel Ebuka, on or about April 15, 2026, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, directly retained N90,989,517 (Ninety Million, Nine Hundred and Eighty-Nine Thousand, Five Hundred and Seventeen Naira) in your Union Bank account number 0069938215, which proceeds you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2)(d) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were first read to him.
However, at the resumed sitting on July 8, 2026, he changed his plea from “not guilty” to “guilty.”
Following his guilty plea, prosecution counsel, Bilkisu Buhari, urged the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.
Delivering judgment, Justice Bogoro convicted and sentenced Ebuka to eight years and three months’ imprisonment, with an option of a fine of N8.5 million.
The court also ordered the convict to undertake two weeks of community service in respect of count 14.
In addition, Justice Bogoro ordered the forfeiture to the Federal Government of the convict’s iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone XR, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13 Pro Max, a Mercedes-Benz G65, a 2014 Mercedes-Benz ML, a gold chain and two HP laptops.
