ABUJA, Nigeria — The Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled Tuesday, November 25, 2025, for the continuation of the trial of former Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, who is facing a nine-count charge bordering on the alleged diversion of N4 billion in state funds.
Obiano, who governed Anambra State from March 2014 to March 2022, was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on January Wednesday, 24 2024, before Justice Inyang Ekwo.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges and was granted bail.
The EFCC alleges that between April 2017 and March 2022, Obiano oversaw the illegal diversion of state security vote funds through companies that had no formal business dealings with the state.
The funds were allegedly converted to U.S. dollars and handed to the former governor.
According to prosecution witness Ugochukwu Otubelu, a former commercial bank employee who managed the state’s security vote account during Obiano’s tenure, the funds were routinely processed through six company accounts.
However, he testified that the actual recipients of the funds were not the named account holders.
Otubelu identified Willy Nwokoye, Obiano’s former principal secretary, and Theophilus Nweze, the state’s accountant, as the signatories to the account.
Another witness, Hayatu Hadejia, a bureau de change (BDC) operator who owns five companies, also testified that he was involved in foreign currency transactions on behalf of entities linked to the Anambra State Government.
Further testimony came from Ayuba Tanko, another BDC operator, who told the court on November 2024 that N416 million was paid in tranches into a proxy company’s account between April and December 2017.
He said the money was returned as $1.137 million in cash.
However, under cross-examination, Tanko confirmed that he had no direct contact with Obiano.
Following the suspension of Justice Inyang Ekwo by the National Judicial Council (NJC), the case was reassigned to Justice Mohammed Umar, who will now preside over the proceedings.
The EFCC is expected to continue presenting evidence when the trial resumes in November, as it seeks to establish its case against the former governor.
