Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has re‑arraigned a legal practitioner, Barrister Mike Ikegbunam, before a Federal High Court sitting in Independence Layout, Enugu, on a seven‑count charge bordering on money laundering and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N91,000,000 (Ninety‑one Million Naira). The defendant was brought before Justice M. T. Segun‑Bello on Monday, May 4, 2026, after his previous trial before Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the same court was stalled due to the transfer of the former judge. This marks the second time the lawyer will be answering to the allegations, which stem from a 2022 land procurement deal with a university staff association.
According to the charge sheet, Ikegbunam allegedly induced the Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions of Nigeria (SSAUTHRIAI), Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi branch, to part with a total of N91 million under the pretence that he could acquire 130 plots of land for their members at Umuagu Ndiukwuanu Town in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State. The prosecution alleges that the lawyer knew this representation to be false and that he had no genuine capacity to deliver the land.
Count one of the charge reads: “That you, Mike Ikegbunam on 16th August, 2022 in Umuagu Ozu Village, Anambra State within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria with intent to defraud, induced the Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions of Nigeria to deliver to you, the sum of N25,000,000.00 (Twenty‑five Million Naira) under the pretence that you are capable of acquiring some portions of land for their members at Umuagu Ndiukwuanu Town in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State which pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.”
Count two of the charge similarly accuses Ikegbunam of obtaining another N20,000,000 (Twenty Million Naira) on 26th October, 2022 from the same association under identical false pretences. The remaining five counts cover additional tranches of payments that together sum up to the N91 million alleged fraud. All the transactions were said to have taken place between August and October 2022.
When the charges were read to him in court on Monday, the defendant pleaded not guilty to all seven counts. In response, prosecution counsel, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE II Mainforce Adaka Ekwu, prayed the court for a trial date to enable the prosecution to prove its case. However, defence counsel, S. E. Nnonyelu, urged the court to allow his client to continue to enjoy the bail earlier granted by the previous judge, pointing out that Ikegbunam had complied with the conditions of that bail. Justice Segun‑Bello granted the prayer and adjourned the matter to October 21 and 22, 2026 for the commencement of trial.
Background investigations by the anti‑graft agency revealed that Ikegbunam was first arrested on July 12, 2023, following a petition from the SSAUTHRIAI branch at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi. The association’s members had pooled their resources to acquire land for their personal development, trusting Ikegbunam as a legal practitioner to facilitate the transaction. Instead, the EFCC alleges, the defendant diverted substantial portions of the funds for his personal benefit.
During the initial investigation, Ikegbunam made a partial refund of N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira) to the association. However, further forensic examination of his financial transactions showed that he allegedly used N16,500,000 (Sixteen Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira), suspected to be part of the diverted funds, to acquire three plots of land for himself at Dubai Estate, Phase 2 in Awka, Anambra State. The EFCC has since placed a restriction on those properties pending the final determination of the case.
The re‑arraignment was necessitated by the transfer of the original trial judge, Justice Mohammed Garba Umar, who had presided over the matter when Ikegbunam was first arraigned on Wednesday, January 31, 2024. At that initial arraignment, the defendant pleaded not guilty and was granted bail on self‑recognizance with the condition that he deposit his Call to Bar Certificate with the court. He has since complied with that condition. With a new judge now seised of the case, the EFCC was required to re‑arraign the defendant to properly commence proceedings afresh.
The case has attracted attention from civil society groups and legal practitioners who are keenly watching how the judiciary handles a prosecution involving a member of the Bar. In a brief comment after the court session, defence counsel Nnonyelu expressed confidence that his client would be exonerated, insisting that the transaction was a genuine land purchase that unfortunately collapsed due to issues with the original landowner, not fraud. The prosecution, however, maintains that the evidence, including bank statements and property records, points to deliberate misrepresentation.
Justice Segun‑Bello has fixed a two‑day trial window for October 21 and 22, 2026. The EFCC is expected to parade witnesses, including officials of the SSAUTHRIAI, bank compliance officers, and forensic analysts. Ikegbunam remains on the bail granted by the previous court, with his Call to Bar Certificate still deposited as a guarantee. Should he be convicted on any of the counts, he faces a potential prison term under the Advance Fee Fraud Act, which prescribes up to 20 years for each count of obtaining by false pretence.
As the legal community waits for the October trial date, the case serves as a stark reminder of the EFCC’s ongoing push to sanitise the real estate and land banking sector, where fraudsters often prey on professionals and associations seeking affordable housing. For now, Barrister Mike Ikegbunam continues to practice law, but his professional future hangs in the balance of the Enugu court.
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