Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abuja Zonal Directorate, has continued its relentless push against financial malfeasance in the banking and investment sectors, arraigning the Managing Director of Viscount Microfinance Bank, Blessing Gozi-Anyaokei, before a Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on charges of illegal conversion and obtaining money by false pretence. In a separate but equally significant development, the Commission also arraigned a businessman, Ugochukwu Daniel Ifeanachor, for allegedly defrauding a client of N20 million under the guise of supplying desktop computers.
The case against Gozi-Anyaokei, who appeared before Justice Y. Halilu on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, revolves around two separate sums entrusted to her by an investor identified as Ernest Terkula Jor. According to the two-count charge, the bank managing director allegedly converted N19 million and $30,000 (Thirty Thousand United States Dollars) meant for investment to her personal use, thereby violating the terms under which the funds were entrusted to her. Count one of the charge reads: “That you, Blessing Gozi-Anyaokei, sometime in 2022 at Abuja, within the Judicial Division of this Honourable Court, while being the Managing Director of Viscount Microfinance Bank was entrusted with the sum of Nineteen Million Naira (N19,000,000.00) by Ernest Terkula Jor for the purpose of investment, did dishonestly convert the same to your own use in violation of the mode in which the contract is to be discharged, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 311 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532 (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990) and punishable under Section 312 of the same Act.”
The second count mirrors the first, replacing the sum with $30,000. Both offences are alleged to have occurred in 2022. The prosecution, led by counsel S.N. Robert, told the court that the defendant had been properly served and that the charges were based on a thorough investigation that linked the microfinance bank’s chief executive directly to the diversion of funds that were supposed to be deployed for investment purposes. When the charges were read to her, Gozi-Anyaokei pleaded not guilty. Robert immediately requested a trial date. However, defence counsel sought bail for the defendant, which Justice Halilu granted on the condition that she provide two sureties with landed property within Abuja. Additionally, the court ordered that the defendant deposit her international travel documents with the court and refrain from travelling outside the country without the court’s permission. The case was adjourned to July 19, 2026, for the commencement of trial.
The EFCC’s case against Gozi-Anyaokei is part of a wider scrutiny of microfinance banks, which have become a critical source of credit for small‑scale entrepreneurs and low‑income individuals. The commission has noted a worrying trend of insider abuse, where bank executives treat depositor and investor funds as personal treasuries. The Managing Director of Viscount Microfinance Bank is not the first senior banking official to be prosecuted in recent months; in January 2026, a former manager of a microfinance bank in Lagos was sentenced to seven years for diverting over N50 million in depositor funds. The EFCC has vowed to sustain the pressure, warning that bank directors who misuse public trust will face the full weight of the law.
In a related proceeding the previous day, Monday, May 11, 2026, the Abuja Zonal Directorate of the EFCC arraigned Ugochukwu Daniel Ifeanachor before Justice J. O. Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, on a two‑count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, advance fee fraud, and money laundering to the tune of N20 million. The complainant, Mr. Ezekwuche Chinedu Paul, had allegedly paid the sum to Ifeanachor for the purchase of 55 pieces of all‑in‑one desktop computer systems. Count one of the charge reads: “That you Ugochukwu Daniel Ifeanachor, sometime in 2025 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court, with intent to defraud, obtained from one Mr. Ezekwuche Chinedu Paul, the sum of N20,000,000.00 (Twenty Million Naira Only) under the pretence that the money is committed and for the purchase of 55 pieces all-in-one desktop computer system, a pretence he you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence, contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No.14 of 2006 and Punishable Under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
The second count charges Ifeanachor with money laundering, specifically that he directly used the sum of N20,000,000 in his Access Bank account, knowing that the funds were proceeds of an unlawful act. When the charges were read, he pleaded not guilty. The prosecution counsel, Joyce Audu, requested a trial date. Justice Abdulmalik, after listening to submissions, ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja pending the commencement of trial, which was adjourned to July 6, 2026.
The Ifeanachor case highlights a common fraud scheme in which fraudsters pose as suppliers of high‑value goods, collect advance payments, and then disappear without delivering the products. The EFCC has warned businesses and individuals to verify the credentials of suppliers before making substantial payments, particularly in transactions involving computer hardware, medical equipment, and construction materials. The commission also urged financial institutions to flag unusual deposits that may be linked to fraudulent activities.
Both cases underscore the EFCC’s determination to pursue fraudsters at all levels, whether they are bank executives or freelance swindlers. The trials, when they commence in July, will be closely watched by the business community and anti‑corruption advocates. For now, the bank MD remains on bail, while the computer equipment fraud suspect awaits his trial from a prison cell. The message from the EFCC is clear: no matter your title or the sophistication of your scheme, the long arm of the law will eventually catch up.
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