$87m Theft: Abayomi Remanded As Court Adjourn Till October

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday, July 24th, 2023 has adjourned the arraignment of Abayomi OluwaSesan and Onifade Adeniyi who were charged by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, for gaining access to millions of subscribers’ investments at the Afriq Arbitrage Company online trading platform to October 9th, 2023.

They were accused of stealing, diverting and converting the sum of $87,883,904 (N75b based on the black market rate) USD to personal use.

In the charge sheet with Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CR/289, the IGP’s lawyer, Wisdom Madaki charged the duo and others now at large on 10 counts bordering on cybercrime, money laundering, and advanced fee fraud, allegedly perpetrated against the trading platform.

The police alleged they were able to commit the offence by fraudulently changing the ownership credentials of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Jesam Michael, among other things.

When the matter was called up before Justice Binta Nyako, the suspects’ lawyer raised the objection that they have obtained an injunction to contest the issue of their human rights.

The honorable judge rhetorically asked him if the case is in Lagos why is he in the courtroom today?

The issue at the federal high court is not a human rights issue but a criminal issue that superseded the so-called objection raised by the suspects’ lawyers.

The honorable judge reminded him that he is not helping matter but that since that’s what’s he preferred, he should go to Algis court and sort our the issues first and come back to her court to continue the criminal case. She, however reminded him that the court won’t be in session till October. Thus, she adjourned the case till October 9th, 2023.

It would be recalled that Abayomi Segun Oluwasesan, who was employed by his boss on the 15th of June, 2022 to work as a web developer, literally tempered with the platform at a time when his boss, Jesam Micheal went for a liver transplant and entrusted the codes to him.

Overwhelmed by greed, Abayomi who was entrusted with the sensitive data for the smooth operations of the company, engaged the services of his cohorts, disrupting the smooth operations of the platform and stealing hard-earned investors’ money running into several billions.

Checks revealed that AAS is a global phenomenon with over 100,000 investors from over 75 counties. Thinking his employer, Jesam Micheal would not survive the operation, he withdrew several millions of dollars and became an instant rich dude with an astonishing flamboyant lifestyle overnight. His first criminal act was obtaining a Ghania passport which he used in acquiring other international residency and properties. He became the owner of a car dealership known as FIDORAY Autos and imported over 30 exotic wonders on wheels. He acquired Tanzanian and Dubai citizenship. Aside from that, he bought state-of-the-art properties in the UK, Dubai, Tanzania, and Nigeria.

One of the plazas he acquired in Lagos was to the tune of N450m, landed properties around Dangote refineries to the tune of N1b, and splashed a billion naira on the interior decoration of the Mesh 3-star hotel in Mainland, Lagos State.

A nobody Abayomi was travelling across the globe with investors’ money on first-class tickets. His dubious activities literally crashed the lucrative platform on the 15th of May, 2023.