Oloruntobi Alabi
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has postponed further proceedings in the high-profile trial of music promoter and ex-manager of gospel sensation Mercy Chinwo, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu ThankGod (widely known as Eezee Tee), until September 26, 2025.
Eezee Tee and his firm, Eezee Global Concepts Limited, are defending against a seven-count amended charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, accusing them of serious financial crimes.
The allegations include foreign exchange fraud and money laundering, with sums reportedly amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Originally tried before Justice Owoeye, the case was reassigned to Justice Aneke, who is now presiding over the ongoing proceedings.
A key charge states that the defendant, lacking proper authorization from the Central Bank of Nigeria as a foreign exchange dealer, illegally conducted a currency transaction with an individual—breaching the Foreign Exchange Monitoring and Miscellaneous (Provisions) Act.
During the latest hearing, Bilkisu Buhari-Bala, lead prosecutor, called the EFCC’s first witness, Mohammed Timta, to the stand.
Defense counsel Chikaosolu Ojukwu, SAN, disclosed to the court that settlement talks were progressing and sought more time to finalize the terms. He clarified that if negotiations collapsed, the prosecution would resume with a full trial.
Justice Aneke accepted the request and moved the case to September 26, 2025, for continuation.
John Okoro
