A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday, ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to produce an Abuja-based estate agent, Rebecca Omokamo in court to continue her trial on charges bordering on alleged land fraud, forgery, and money laundering preferred against her by the anti-graft agency.
The trial judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik made the order for the agency to produce her in court after she failed to show up for the continuation of her criminal trial on Tuesday.
When the matter was called, her counsel, Christopher Oshomeghie, SAN, informed the court that men of the EFCC had laid siege on the home of his client for 23 days running and so she has not been outdoors for all that period as she fears for her life.
The senior lawyer attributed the absence of his client in court to the action of operatives of the EFCC.
In a short ruling, the trial judge ordered the EFCC to keep the defendant in their custody and produce her in court on Thursday, July 23, 2026 for the continuation of her trial.
The other defendants listed in the suit are, Homadil Realty Limited, Idakwogi Richard John, and Rychado Homes Limited.
Only the third defendant, Richard John, the CEO of Rychado Homes Limited was available in court on Tuesday for proceedings which began with counsel for the prosecution, Benedict Ubi informing the court that the first defendant (Rebecca Omokamo) was in “self-imposed house arrest sequel to the order of the court for an interim forfeiture of a disputed land”.
The prosecutor said the defendant was obstructing officers of the EFCC from carrying out the order of the court.
Mr Ubi also accused Mrs Omokamo of breaching the terms of her administrative bail by traveling repeatedly out of the jurisdiction of the court.
In a counter-argument, counsel for the defendant noted that menacing, gun-wielding officers of the EFCC took over the property of his client in a 23-day siege adding that, she is in a very poor state of health for having to be indoor for that long.
The prosecutor interjected by clarifying that the defendant has the keys and that it was she who locked herself in her apartment and not the EFCC officers on enforcement duty.
Justice Abdulmalik ordered the anti-corruption agency to produce the defendant in court after her counsel confirmed that she had the keys to the apartment and not the men of the EFCC.
Earlier in a related civil suit filed by the EFCC, Justice Abdulmalik cautioned Christopher Oshomeghie, SAN for, “Pondering for the court” after he drew her attention to the continued siege on his client’s Guzape property by men of the EFCC.
He sought clarity on her previous order for status quo antebellum to be maintained by contending parties and the seeming high handed action by the EFCC officers who have since laid siege on the property shutting his client in for almost a month.
Earlier during the civil lawsuit, Mr Ubi informed the court of a pending application for the final forfeiture of the disputed property as well as a pending application by a party seeking to join the suit.
According to the court, the application for joinder supercedes any other, and that will be accorded priority by the court at the moment and adjourned the civil lawsuit till October 15 for hearing of all pending applications in the matter.
END
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