Justice Rahman Oshodi of an Ikeja Special Offences Court, Lagos, today, admitted bail to Friday Audu, who is standing trial before the court alongside a firm, Genting International Limited, on alleged Forgery and other Related offences in the sum of N50 million.
Audu and the corporate defendant were arraigned before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an amended eight-count charge marked ID/25617C/25.
The charges include forgery, impersonation, and possession of fraudulent documents.
According to the EFCC, the defendant allegedly forged a document titled Ultimate Beneficial Ownership Declaration Form, purportedly signed by one Baffale Yakubu.
He was also alleged of being in possession of documents in which he falsely represented himself as the said Yakubu and another individual, one Nasiru Mohammed Barau.
At the resumed hearing of the charge today, Justice Oshodi first ruled on the defendant bail application, wherein he admitted him to bail in the sum of N50 million, with two responsible sureties in like sum.
The judge also ordered that the sureties must be individuals of means, who shall depose to affidavits of means and demonstrate evidence of gainful employment.
The judge further ruled that the sureties are required to show proof of maintaining a bank account with a minimum balance of N50 million, with evidence of three years tax payment to the Lagos State government, as issued by the Lagos State Government.
The defendant was also ordered to deposit his international passport with the court, while the EFCC is to notify the Nigerian Immigration Service of the order within 48 hours.
“The Chief Registrar of this court shall verify the satisfaction of all bail conditions. The prosecution shall strictly comply with the fifth condition and transmit the necessary notification to the Nigerian Immigration Service,” the judge ruled.
Upon ruling on the bail application, the prosecution, led by Mrs. Bilkisu Buhari-Bala, called its fourth witness, Mr. Baffale Yakubu, a bureau de change operator.
“I met Friday Audu through a Chinese friend called Kenny, sometime around June 2024, my Chinese friend called me that he want to get a lottery licence in Nigeria and because he is not in the country, he wants me to be the director.
“He told me he has a name of company he want to register with CAC but he will send to one of his Oga in Abuja to check if CAC will approved it, he called me after days that it has been approved”.
Yakubu further told the court that he had forwarded personal information and a signature to an individual named Kenny, for the stated purpose of registering a lottery company with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
The witness testified that following the submission of his information, he was informed that he could not be retained as a director due to the nature of his existing business.
He stated that he had introduced his brother, Nasiru Mohammed Barau, as a second director and submitted his brother’s signature and identification to Kenny for the same registration purposes.
Yakubu further said he was later introduced to the first defendant, Audu, by a Chinese national named Adney in July 2024.
According to the witness, the data gathering process intensified thereafter, including the submission of his Bank Verification Number, email address, National Identification Number , and bank account details.
Yakubu further testified that he was subsequently informed that unless he and his brother resigned as directors of Genting International Limited, the company would not be issued a license. He claimed he thereafter requested the removal of their names as directors.
The witness stated that in December 2024, Mr. Audu contacted him to inquire whether he had been contacted by the EFCC.
Yakubu responded that he had not. When eventually contacted by the EFCC in January 2025, Audu advised him to tell investigators that he was a director of Genting International Limited, but not an active one, and to provide Union Bank account details if asked.
He told the court that during his interview with investigators, he denied ownership of a Union Bank account and disclaimed a customer form which bore discrepancies in his mother’s name and local government of origin. He insisted the signature on the form was not his.
Under cross-examination by counsel to the first defendant, Mr. Kunle Adegoke (SAN), the witness admitted that he was aware he and Barau were originally named as directors and that he was the one who requested their removal.
He also admitted that the signatures sent to Kenny were not forged and that he voluntarily provided personal information for the CAC registration.
Yakubu however denied knowledge of being appointed as the Company Secretary and insisted he did not authorize the opening of a Union Bank account, nor was he aware of signing any such documents.
Earlier in the proceedings, the third prosecution witness, Mr. Chidubem Ogbuka, a Compliance Officer with Union Bank Plc, had tendered documents allegedly linked to the disputed account.
On Monday, the second prosecution witness, Mr. Nasiru Mohammed Barau, in his testimony denied knowing of Genting International Limited until he was invited by the EFCC.
He also denied being a Director or Shareholder in the company, notwithstanding CAC records that listed him as holding 12 million shares.
Barau also disavowed an email address nasirubarau@gmail.com linked to the company.
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