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FG Orders Withdrawal of Charges Against Ekeh, Zinox Boss, Wife, Others, Insists on Full Prosecution of Alleged Blackmailer, Benjamin Joseph

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The Federal Government of Nigeria has ordered the withdrawal of the charges purportedly filed by Femi Falana (SAN) against the Chairman, Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh, his wife and few others based on false information over an alleged N170m contract fraud with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) which has seen Mr. Benjamin Joseph, owner of Citadel Oracle Concepts Limited, an Ibadan-based ICT retail firm, standing trial for falsely petitioning the Federal Government, alleging that Ekeh and others colluded in defrauding it and his company in executing the contract.

The directive was issued via the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) and communicated in a letter dated October 28, 2022, from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) of the Federation, to the law firm of Falana and Falana.

Part of the letter reads: “I am directed to write in reference to the above caption and to inform you that the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in exercise of the power conferred upon him by section 174(1)(c) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, has withdrawn the authorization earlier granted to you dated 10th May, 2022 to prosecute the case mentioned below. You are accordingly, requested to withdraw Charge no. FCT/HC/CR/469/2022 in the interest of justice.”

The letter was signed by M. B. Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation on behalf of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice.    

Consequently, by this letter, the Charge No: FCT/HC/CR/469/2022, purportedly filed by Falana & Falana against Mr. Leo Stan Ekeh, Chioma Ekeh, Chris Eze Ozims, Shade Oyebode, Charles Adigwe, and others, is no longer tenable and now baseless.  A copy of this letter, which was issued by the FG after a review of the facts of the matter, has been communicated to the chambers of Mathew Burkaa SAN, legal counsel for Mr. Ekeh and others, under cover of a letter dated Monday 31st October 2022 from the Office of the DPP of the Federation on behalf of the Attorney General of the Federation, reconfirming the withdrawal of the authorization earlier given to Falana & Falana and directing them to discontinue the said Charge no. FCT/HC/CR/469/2022.

This, therefore, lays to rest the allegations bandied about by Mr. Benjamin Joseph of Citadel Oracle Concept Limited, that Mr. Ekeh and the other persons mentioned in the various publications are to be arraigned in court on 8th November 2022. Rather, it is on this date that the firm of Falana & Falana is supposed to appear in court and formally withdraw the said Charge no. FCT/HC/CR/469/2022, following the clear directives of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation.

Conversely, the Honourable AGF, through the Office of the DPP, in a letter dated June 6, 2022 had directed the Inspector General of Police to prosecute Benjamin Joseph to a logical conclusion. The directive came a couple of weeks after the Attorney General discovered that material information was withheld in the application by Falana & Falana for the authorization earlier granted to prosecute Ekeh and others. Crucially, Mr. Falana SAN, who had only recently started representing Benjamin Joseph, failed to disclose to the AGF that the FCT High Court presided by Honourable Justice Damlami Senchi had in February 2021 delivered a judgment in Charge No. FCT/HC/CR/244/2018, dismissed as false and malicious the various allegations put forward by Mr. Benjamin Joseph and awarded the sum of N20m against him as damages for false petitioning and to serve as a deterrence to others who may engage in false information to the investigation agencies.  The respected SAN also failed to disclose that his client has refused to be cross-examined since 2018 in an ongoing criminal case (Charge No. CR/216/2016) instituted against him by the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Office of the IGP based on false information on the same allegations. Also, it was not disclosed to the Honourable AGF that the Nigerian Police Force Headquarters had by a comprehensive final report dated 1st December 2020, after a thorough review of the facts of the case, absolved Mr. Ekeh and all the aforementioned persons of any criminal liability in the entire transaction leading to this case, but rather recommended the continuation of the trial of Mr. Benjamin Joseph which began since 2016.

Consequently, he is due to appear in court on Thursday, November 3, 2022, as directed by the Office of the AGF.

Despite these deliberate omissions by his legal counsel, Mr. Benjamin Joseph had embarked on a media trial, publishing a series of sponsored fake news against Mr. Ekeh, with intent to blackmail him as confirmed by his former partner, Princess Kama. Kama, who was responsible for helping Joseph win the bid for the FIRS contract, had recently come out to state that Joseph was an ingrate who had attempted to divert the entire funds for the contract without paying for the laptops supplied to them on credit, despite being the beneficiary of an interest-free credit facility from Technology Distributions Ltd. without which it would have been unable to execute the contract. According to her, Joseph failed in convincing her to go along with his dastardly plans; he had attempted to take all the profits from the deal against their pre-agreed sharing percentage – a move she also resisted.

‘‘This infuriated him and he demanded to take all the profits from the contract which I also resisted because we had a pre-agreed sharing percentage. Chief Afe Babalola, who represented him at the time, tried to intervene by asking me to concede a larger portion of the profit to him but Benjamin was greedy and wanted all. It was at this point that he turned around to claim that he was not aware of the contract, that his company was fraudulently used to execute the contract with a fake Board resolution, and that no single laptop was supplied. Why didn’t he report to the Police earlier if indeed a fraud was perpetrated on his company?” Kama had revealed.

This latest development and intervention by the Federal Government further vindicates the unflinching position of the management of Zinox that its Chairman, Ekeh, wife and others were not in any way guilty of any wrongdoing by extending credit facility to Citadel in the long-drawn case which has spanned nearly 10 years. Zinox had insisted that it would not succumb to any attempts at blackmail and that it would not negotiate with any would-be blackmailers, even as it had consistently expressed faith that the course of justice would eventually be served in the matter.

The ongoing saga relates to a 2012 credit sale of HP Laptops to Citadel Oracle Concepts Limited on an interest-free credit facility when they could not fund the contract awarded to them by FIRS to supply laptops, along with twelve other companies. Two directors of Technology Distributions, Barr. Chris Eze Ozims and Folashade Oyebode, had been appointed signatories to a bank account opened by Citadel for the disbursement of the funds for the contract, solely as security/guarantee for the laptops supplied on credit and in view of previous bad experiences from other creditors of TD. After the FIRS paid all suppliers who were funded by Technology Distribution (TD), the other companies paid TD the pre-agreed invoice value.

But Mr. Benjamin Joseph, the MD of Citadel, tried to divert TD’s fund but his partner Princess Kama resisted that move. After TD was paid, a dispute arose between Benjamin Joseph and his partner, Princess Kama, on profit sharing. At a point, Chief Afe Babalola, SAN who was Counsel to Benjamin Joseph, tried to intervene and cause an amicable settlement of the profit-sharing dispute. But Benjamin Joseph wanted the entire money without paying TD.

It was at this point that he changed the story and contended that he was not aware of the contract and that his company was used to defraud FIRS. However, during investigation by Nigerian Police and EFCC, the FIRS provided proof that Benjamin Joseph was indeed aware of the contract and that all the ordered computers were fully supplied and received by the FIRS.  In addition, Mr. Benjamin Joseph again reported the matter to the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigerian Police Force, Milverton Road, Ikoyi.

The SFU conducted investigations and indicted him on the basis that a forensic analysis report showed that he signed the board resolution which he alleged was forged. He thereafter lodged another petition to the Police Headquarters, Abuja, and after a thorough investigation, it was found again that his allegations were false. It was on the basis of that finding that he was charged to court in 2016 in Charge No: CR/216/2016 (IGP vs. Benjamin Joseph) for giving false information. That Charge is presently pending before Honourable Justice Peter Kekemeke of the High Court of the FCT, Abuja.

Equally important, the Police (Prosecution) has closed their case since 2018 and Mr. Benjamin Joseph has been called upon by the Court to open his defence. Instead of proceeding with the said defense to conclusion, he has devised different tactics in his bid to sway the AGF to discontinue the criminal charge preferred against him. Interestingly, the law firm of Falana & Falana who filed the present charge had earlier in 2018 applied to the AGF by a letter dated November 1, 2018, for a fiat to prosecute Ekeh and the others mentioned in the articles.

In order to convince the office of the AGF, Mr. Joseph submitted some spurious reports said to have been issued in 2015 and in 2020 by the Nigerian Police, which his solicitors again used to apply for another fiat. However, the Nigerian Police Headquarters Abuja, by a comprehensive report dated December 1, 2020, discredited and disclaimed all those reports relied upon by Mr. Benjamin Joseph, which was used to convince the AGF to grant a fiat in May 2022.

On this basis and upon a critical review of all documents relating to the case, the office of the AGF saw through the falsehood and issued a new letter to the Police dated June 6, 2022 directing the Police to continue the prosecution of Benjamin Joseph and bring the criminal charge against him to a logical conclusion. This letter was brought to the attention of the court by counsel to the Nigerian Police through their letter dated September 26, 2022.

 

 

 

 


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Ugo Onwuaso is an ICT enthusiast. He believes technology should be used for general good. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Lagos state University. Dear Reader, Your support matters. But we believe that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. That is why, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and finance and how they affect lives. Our incisive and analytical view of how technology news affects the daily life help individuals and organizations make up their minds. Quality journalism costs money. Today, we're asking that you support us to do more. Kindly support our effort to deliver technology and finance journalism to everyone in the world. Donate as little as N1,000. Bank transfers can be made to: UBA Plc 1017156876 Communication Week Media Ltd

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V-Malaysia 2025: QNET Strengthens Global Network with Landmark 5-Day Event

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QNET, leading global wellness and lifestyle direct-selling company, has successfully concluded V-Malaysia 2025, its flagship annual convention, at the Penang SPICE Convention Centre in Malaysia. Held from 21–25 June, the five-day event drew over 8,000 participants from more than 30 countries, including Nigeria, reinforcing the company’s global reach and strong foothold in the African market.

For over a decade, QNET has chosen Penang as the destination for this transformative event, which blends business networking, entrepreneurial development, and immersive personal growth experiences.

The 2025 edition underscores the continued collaboration between QNET, its event partner V Global Management (The V), Tourism Malaysia, the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), and its state-level affiliate, Penang Convention and Exhibition Bureau (PCEB).

In Nigeria, QNET has steadily gained recognition as a key player in the direct selling and wellness space, empowering thousands of Nigerians with entrepreneurial opportunities, health-conscious products, and financial education.

Through its innovative business model, QNET has fostered a growing community of independent distributors across states like Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt. Events such as V-Malaysia provide distributors a platform to connect with the global QNET network, learn from top leaders, and gain exposure to cutting-edge tools and products that can be leveraged in their local businesses.

V-Malaysia has evolved into a premier platform for business networking, entrepreneurial development, and cross-cultural collaboration. The synergy between QNET and The V — an internationally recognised organisation specialising in large-scale training and events has been pivotal in building the convention’s global draw.

YB Wong Hon Wai, Penang State EXCO for Tourism and Creative Economy (PETACH), emphasised the regional impact of V-Malaysia: “Penang’s vibrant tourism and business events ecosystem continues to attract top-tier events like QNET’s V-Malaysia.

In 2024 alone, Penang recorded an estimated RM1.29 billion in economic impact from such events – a testament to their significance. QNET’s long-term commitment brings not only economic value but also strengthens Penang’s global reputation.”

Trevor Kuna, Chief Marketing Officer of QNET, added: “For QNET, Penang is more than just a venue; it’s a home for inspiration, collaboration, and transformation.

“Our strong base in Nigeria and across Africa makes this event especially meaningful, as we bring together entrepreneurs from across the continent to share ideas and build cross-border relationships that accelerate personal and economic growth.”

The Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), a government agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and parent body of PCEB, plays a pivotal role in Malaysia’s business events ecosystem. In 2023 alone, MyCEB facilitated 248 business events, brought in over 180,700 international delegates, and generated about RM 2.8 billion in economic impact.

For V-Malaysia 2025, MyCEB’s expertise in destination marketing, strategic facilitation, and coordination between federal and state levels (through PCEB) has been instrumental in elevating Penang’s standing as a premier MICE hub.

Complementing this effort is Tourism Malaysia, whose targeted incentives and logistical backing helped deliver V-Malaysia 2025 as a high-impact global event. Their support underscores the government’s broader commitment to positioning Malaysia as a top-tier host for international conferences and high-impact corporate events.

As part of the event’s activities, QNET also unveiled new wellness innovations, including Harmoniq, a bio-signaling patch designed to enhance energy and well-being, and QWIK, a line of oral health and nutrition strips — products set to expand into markets like Nigeria in the coming year.

V-Malaysia 2025 is not just a celebration of innovation and entrepreneurship; it is a dynamic platform that exemplifies how global vision and local action, especially across Africa, can reshape the future of direct selling. For more information about V-Malaysia 2025, please visit QNET’s official website.


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Instagram Safety Tools Every Parent Should Know About

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In today’s digital world, teens are using social media to connect with their friends, learn and explore their interests.

Instagram has developed a variety of tools to give parents peace of mind, support safer interactions, and empower teens to make thoughtful decisions online. Whether you’re new to the platform or want to stay informed, here are essential safety tools every parent should know about:

Teen Accounts: Teen Accounts were designed to support parents better and give them peace of mind that their teens have the right protections in place. Teen Accounts have built-in protections that limit who can contact them and the content they see. By default, teen accounts are set to private and teens under 16 can only change this default setting with help from a parent or guardian.

Supervision tools (parental controls): As part of Teen Accounts, Instagram offers supervision features that allow parents to stay involved in their teen’s experience on the app. With this feature, parents can monitor how much time their teen spends on Instagram, view who they follow and who follows them, receive updates when their teen reports accounts or content, and set daily time limits or scheduled breaks to help manage usage.

Daily time limit: The daily time limit feature is also part of Teen Accounts. It allows parents and teens to set limits on app usage, encouraging healthier and more mindful engagement over time.

Block, restrict and report feature: Teen Accounts include tools that allow teens to block or restrict people they don’t want to interact with and report harmful content or behavior. Restricted users won’t be able to see when your teen is online or if they’ve read messages.

Sensitive content control: This safety feature, also available through Teen Accounts, lets users filter out potentially upsetting or mature content in Explore and other surfaces. content across Explore and other surfaces.

Educational Family Center: Instagram’s Family Center is an educational hub that provides articles and guidance to help parents have meaningful conversations with their teens about their online experiences and how to make time spent online a positive experience. The hub focuses on providing parents with practical tools from online safety experts, organisations and academics on everything from bullying to cybersecurity.

Take time to explore these features with your teen and use them as a starting point for open, ongoing conversations about their online life. When parents and teens navigate these digital spaces together, everyone wins.


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Free WiFi Meets Mega Entertainment at the Grand Opening of Solution Fun City

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In a bold move to blend digital empowerment with fun and entertainment, the Anambra State ICT Agency, in partnership with the Geeks and Founders Alliance for Soludo (GEFAS), announces the availability of free WiFi at the Anambra Mega Fest/Grand Opening of Solution Fun City.

Powered by Pine Heights Systems (PHSWEB), this initiative reinforces the state government’s commitment to bridging the digital divide and bringing connectivity directly to the people.

Set to hold on Saturday, June 28, 2025, at 1 PM, the grand opening of Solution Fun City will light up Awka with a mix of tech-forward innovation and high-energy entertainment, all under the distinguished hosting of Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, CFR.

Attendees are in for a tech-enhanced experience featuring music, dance, comedy, games, and electrifying performances from Flavour, Umu Obiligbo, JeriQ, Jennifer Eliogu, Ugoccie, Apete, Ojadili, Ogbuefi I Go Tuk, Onye Obodo, Prince Neche, and many more.

“Technology is one of the greatest equalizers of our time.

Through digital access, we are not only empowering citizens, we are deepening civic participation and driving progress,” said Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata, MD/CEO of the Anambra State ICT Agency and Convener of GEFAS.

The event signals a new chapter in Anambra’s smart governance journey, where technology, inclusivity, and community celebration come together in one dynamic space.

To connect to the Free WiFi: turn your phone’s WiFi, select Soludo Solution WiFi and follow the prompts on the landing page

For details, call: 0201 410 1240

Follow the conversation: @gefasoludo across all social media platforms.


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