EFCC Drags Supermarket Manager to Court for alleged N547m fraud

Stanley Ihedigbo

Benin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned one Evangeline Atanda Ibadha before Justice (Professor) C. A. Obiozor of the Federal High Court sitting in Benin City, Edo State.

Ibadha, who was the former manager of JustProtein, a supermarket store in Benin City, was arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on stealing by conversion and diversion of funds to the tune of N547,307,016.

One of the counts reads: “That you, Evangeline Atanda Ibadha (f), on or about the 1st day of November 2022, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did indirectly take possession and control of the sum of N10,000,000 which was paid into your Account No. 4990092639 domiciled with Ecobank and operated by you, which sum you knew or reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful act, to wit: stealing by conversion; and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act.”

Another count reads: “That you, Evangeline Atanda Ibadha (f), sometime between January 2018 and January 2025, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did indirectly take possession and control of the aggregate sum of N319,000,000 which was paid into your Account No. 3007525066 domiciled with First Bank Plc and operated by you, which sum you knew or reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful act, to wit: stealing by conversion; and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act.”

Upon arraignment, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against her by the Commission. This prompted the prosecution counsel, I. M. Elodi, to urge the court to remand her in the Correctional Service and fix a date for trial. However, defence counsel, Evans Ogbeifun, prayed the court to allow him stand as an interim surety for the defendant pending the filing and determination of the bail application.

Justice Obiozor adjourned the case to December 8, 2025, for hearing of the bail application.