The Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal Directorate has arraigned music producer, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu ThankGod (a.k.a EezeeTee) before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos on Wednesday.
This commission confirmed the development in a post on its official X page on Wednesday.
According to the post, ThankGod in conjunction with his company, Eezee Global Concepts Limited, is facing trial on an amended seven-count charge bordering on alleged foreign exchange malpractice and money laundering amounting to a sum of $397, 106 (Three Hundred and Ninety Seven, One hundred and Six US Dollars).
The commission added that the defendant, ThankGod was previously standing trial before Justice Owoeye of the Ikoyi Federal High court before the case was reassigned to Justice Aneke.
One of the counts reads: “That you, EZEKIEL ONYEDIKACHUWU THANKGOD and EEZEE GLOBAL CONCEPTS LIMITED, sometime in June 2023 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, not being an authorized buyer of foreign exchange currency appointed by the Central Bank of Nigeria under Section 5(1) of Foreign Exchange Monitoring and Miscellaneous (Provisions) Act CAP F34 LFN 2004 negotiated a foreign exchange transaction to wit: the naira equivalent of the sum of $52,895.00 (Fifty Two Thousand, Eight Hundred Ninety Five ) with Mr. Oladotun Olaobaju Mureke and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 5 and 29(1)(c) of the Foreign Exchange Monitoring and Miscellaneous (Provisions) Act Cap F34 LFN 2004 and punishable under Section 29(2) of the same Act.”
Another count reads: “That you, EZEKIEL ONYEDIKACHUWU THANKGOD and EEZEE GLOBAL CONCEPTS LIMITED, sometime in 2024 Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, failed to submit to the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering a declaration of your activities of the said company within which period the total sum of $137,383 (One Hundred and Thirty Seven Thousand, Three Hundred and Eighty Three United States Dollars) paid into EEZEE CONCEPTS LIMITED account number 5070522520 domiciled in Zenith Bank, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 6(1) (a),19(1)(f) of the Money Laundering(Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section19 (2)(b) of the same Act.”
EezeeTee pleaded “not guilty” when his charge was read to him. In the light of this, the prosecution counsel, Bilikisu Buhari-Bala requested for a trial date and also asked that ThankGod should be detained in a correctional center.
However, contrary to the prosecution request, the defense counsel, Chikaozuolu Ojukwu SAN, also prayed that EezeeTee be granted bail ‘in the most liberal term’.
The prosecution counsel while responding to this said, “The prosecution filed a 16-paragraph-counter affidavit, deposed to by Mohammed Adamu, an Investigator with the EFCC, on the 4th of March 2025, urging the court to refuse the prayers of the defence.”
Buhari-Bala asserted that the defendant rejected service on many occasions and all effort made for him to turn himself in at EFCC office proved abortive.
She also added that EezeeTee after being granted an administrative bail by the Commission, had not been honouring further invitations.
Justice Aneke adjourned the ruling on the bail application till May 9th, 2025, and released the defendant to his counsel.
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