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You are not part of us, Mobolaji Bank Anthony Family Tells Queen Irene Cole
You are not part of us, Mobolaji Bank Anthony Family Tells Queen Irene Cole
By Ifeoma Ikem
Family of the late renowned philanthropist; Sir Mobolaji Bank Anthony has publicly disowned Queen Irene Cole, a self styled “Executive Trustee” of the multi billion dollar estate of Bank Anthony.
Recently, Cole who reportedIy lived for many years in the United States of America organised a press conference where she told the media that as an ‘executive trustee’ of the late Bank Anthony’s Estate, she was collaborating with the late philanthropist’s family to recover the estate worth over $50billion from some Banks and Registrars whom she alleged had connived to deprive the statutory beneficiaries of the Will of their entitlement.
At a press conference on Thursday at Mike Okiro Press Centre, Ikeja Lagos, the Mobolaji Bank Anthony family told journalists that “Queen Irene Cole and her cohorts are not known to the family.”
According to Mr. Babatunde Bank Anthony, a grandson of Bank Anthony who spoke with journalists on zoom meeting from London, “Sir Mobolaji Bank Anthony at the time of his death in 1991 left a clear and comprehensive last Will & Testament which depicted his last wishes. His last Will & Testament stated that his Estate be governed and to be in the run by a list of his chosen trustees. This list did not include anyone named Queen Irene Cole neither did it include some of her partners.
“Queen Irene Cole and her cohorts who, we as a family do not know, have spent the last couple of years attempting to insert themselves in the Estate and properties of the late Sir Mobolaji Bank Anthony. Queen Irene Cole has continually claimed her relationship to the Bank Anthony family and has through various methods obtained a court judgement which is currently being legally challenged by the family and the Estate.
“It has been brought to our notice that Queen Irene Cole and some of her partners have been using this court judgement in an attempt to access Estate funds and engage with property developers.”
“We, the family are using this medium to inform everyone that Queen Irene Cole does not have the permission or the authority to represent the Bank Anthony family and anyone who enters into any business transaction with her in regards to the Bank Anthony Estate does so at their own peril.”
Explaining further, Babatunde Bank Anthony who was joined via zoom at the conference by the last daughter of the philanthropist Bolaji Bank Anthony said all the press conferences organised by Queen Irene Cole in respect of Bank Anthony Estate were full of fallacies and misleading to the members of the public. He cited a newspaper publication in which Queen Irene Cole claimed to be a Godmother of a beneficiary, adding that Funmiade Bank-Anthony who has been associating with Cole is though a grandchild of Mobolaji Bank Anthony but not a statutory beneficiary from the Will.
Speaking in the same vein, another grandson; Mr. Mohammed Abubakar Akintunde told journalists that Cole is a Godmother to Funmiade. He explained that some time in 2020, Cole had invited him and Funmiade to Sheraton Hotels during which both of them were persuaded to accept becoming Trustees to their late grand father’s Estate. While Funmiade consented to the request, Akintunde rejected it with the contention that such proposal could not fly without the consent of Mobolaji Bank Anthony’s children and larger family.
According to him, Cole later procured a Lagos High Court document purporting him as one of the Trustees of the late Bank Anthony’s Estate all in an attempt to have access to the Estate’s accounts. Akintunde was later to disclaim his inclusion when Bank Anthony’s family took the matter to court.
In the disclaimer dated 30th September, 2020 (copies of which were made available to the press) Akintunde expressly stated that he was not aware of the fraudulent act perpetuated that “I should become the new said trustee of the estate of the late Sir Mobolaji Bank Anthony.
“I am a law abiding citizen of Nigeria and also one of the grandsons of the late philanthropist Sir Mobolaji Bank Anthony. I would like the court to verify all necessary documents from Irene Cole where and at what time I sat down to sign the document that warrants me Mr. Mohammed Abubakar Akintunde to be a legal trustee of the said Estate.”
The eldest grand child of the late philanthropist, Fumilayo Bank Anthony who spoke via zoom like Babatunde and Bolaji said she is a beneficiary in the Will while her cousin Funmiade who was associating with Queen Irene Cole is not a beneficiary like some other grand children.
The family disclosed that the case relating to the Estate was still in court pointing out that Cole and her cohorts “initially got a judgement due to improper disclosure of facts to the court during the filing process; the name of a Beneficiary has been altered to match the name of one of the Beneficiaries stated in the Will. They have tried everything and anything possible to try to get their hands on the funds of the Estate.
The judgement they are parading around is dated 5th August, 2020 but subsequently the case was referred to the Court of Appeals on 5th November, 2021. A Notice of Appeal has been put forward and we are presently waiting for an Appeal date,” Babatunde Bank Anthony explained.
He added that “Queen Irene Cole and her partners are simply in a bid to race against time. They hope they can get to the Funds of the Estate before an Appeal hearing but we as a family will ensure they will not succeed.”
It was gathered that Queen Irene Cole and her group after addressing the press in May this year whereby she accused Banks and Registrars for holding to the Estate’s Funds have held meetings with some of the Registrars with a view to strengthening issues relating to the Funds.
More than ₦3 billion was targeted, but about ₦677 million reached the culprits, with recovery and prosecutions underway, reflecting how banks are responding to more sophisticated fraud risks.
Nigeria’s expanding digital banking sector is facing increasingly sophisticated fraud attempts, as financial institutions adapt to faster transactions and broader online services.
A recent case involving First City Monument Bank (FCMB), linked to fraudulent activity detected in December 2025, has drawn attention to how banks are responding to such incidents, with a focus on limiting exposure, recovering funds and working with law enforcement.
According to findings referenced in proceedings before the Lagos State Special Offences Court, the incident involved unauthorised transactions tied to a digital product. Early reports erroneously suggested more than ₦3 billion was lost. Subsequent clarification shows that over ₦3 billion was targeted, ₦2.4 billion was blocked and recovered, while ₦677 million got into the possession of the culprits. This outcome reflects the bank’s cyber security and monitoring capabilities, as well as improved collaboration among regulated financial institutions and with law enforcement agencies. Several suspects and beneficiaries have been apprehended, while recovery and prosecution efforts are ongoing, led by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Proceedings at the Lagos State Special Offences Court have resulted in convictions, including that of a repeat offender, with restitution orders issued. Related matters are also being handled at the Federal High Court in Lagos, where additional suspects are being tried in connection with the scheme. This process is aimed at ensuring that bad actors are identified and permanently blacklisted from the financial system.
Authorities say recovery efforts are continuing as additional funds are traced.
Analysts note that the pace of legal action reflects closer coordination between financial institutions and enforcement agencies in addressing cyber-related financial crime.
The case comes as banks contend with more complex fraud methods, including social engineering and automated exploitation of system processes.
As digital products and platforms expand, so too does the risk associated with cyber-crime and related fraud.
“The scale of digital banking means risks are evolving alongside the systems,” said a Lagos-based financial analyst. “Institutions are now judged by how they manage these events.”
Observers say the sector is moving toward a stronger focus on response and recovery, rather than prevention alone.
This includes improving monitoring capabilities, strengthening transaction controls and enhancing collaboration with regulators and law enforcement. The FCMB case, with limited exposure relative to the amount targeted and ongoing recovery, reflects that shift.
For customers, the primary concern is the safety of their funds. In this case, there has been no indication of losses affecting customer deposits. Maintaining that level of protection remains central to sustaining trust in the financial system.
Nigeria’s financial sector continues to grow, supported by digital innovation and expanding access to banking services.
However, analysts say fraud attempts are likely to persist as systems become more complex and interconnected.
They say institutions will increasingly be judged not only on their ability to prevent incidents, but on how effectively they respond and recover when they occur.
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Ex-APC Deputy Guber flag bearer, Joshua MacIver backs Tinubu, express fears over implosion in Bayelsa APC
….congratulates new State Party Chairman, Warman Ogoriba
APC Deputy Governorship Candidate in the 2023 general elections in Bayelsa State, Great Joshua MacIver has declared his total commitment to the re-election of President Bola Tinubu come 2027, declaring that the Tinubu re-election project is non-negotiable.
Great Joshua MacIver, in his statement titled ” BAYELSA APC CONGRESSES: GOING FORWARD, A CALL TO LOOK INWARDS” and made available to newsmen in Yenagoa, warned APC leaders in the state to look Inward and take note of certain factors which may hinder or cut short our victory.
According to Great Joshua MacIver, such noticeable pitfalls include the imbalance in the united front being put up by the State Governor,Senator Douye Diri among various political blocs in the state.
In the statement issued at the weekend. Great Joshua MacIver stated that “First, before His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, joined the APC in the state, there were clearly two political blocs that made up the party, with the approximate population ratios of the blocs standing at 95% to 5%.”
“After the entrance of His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, ONLY THE SMALLER BLOC IS BEING CARRIED ALONG IN THE AFFAIRS OF THE PARTY, leaving the greater percentage to their fate, and this situation has the potential to build anger and dissatisfaction in our dear party.”
” The consequence of this has been the high level defection we have witnessed in the party recently and we believe more may likely follow, if we do not put our house in order.”
” If we do not pull together as a party, we may witness a situation where we will lose key stakeholders, especially after the State and National Assembly Primaries as well the Gubernatorial Primaries.”
“Finally, while it is very clear that we are the party to beat in the 2027 elections and that our loyalty to Mr. President IS NON-NEGOTIABLE, we must make haste to say that we cannot afford to create situations or loopholes in our unity which will be exploited by other political interests in the state. We cannot afford to under-rate anyone.”
“Our core interest remains the re-election of Mr. President, a project to which we have committed our all. We also pledge our total loyalty to the party as we have no alternative to the APC. However, our concern is that we must, as a party, look inwards and ensure that we do not create loopholes that can impede our common goal.”
Great Joshua MacIver, however congratulated the newly elected State Executives of the APC in Bayelsà State led by Hon. Warman Ogoriba, saying their emergence is welcomed at this critical time in our national history.
At least 23 people were killed in a series of suspected suicide bombings, police in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri said on Tuesday.
https://www.stanbicibtcbank.com/nigeriabank/personal/products-and-services/all-loans/stanbic-ibtc-mreif-home-loans
More than 100 other people were injured in the blasts that took place on Monday evening in the capital of Nigeria’s restive Borno state.
No group has claimed responsibility for the suspected attacks.
The deadly blasts come after a military post was attacked overnight Sunday to Monday, which authorities blamed on suspected Islamist militants.
This sad incident is coming barely two weeks after Primate Elijah Ayodele, the Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church specifically warned against attacks in some states. He mentioned these states while calling on security operatives to pay close attention to them.
These were his words:
“Another attack is coming up in these following states where the military must watch carefully and intelligently; Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi, Niger, Borno, Kwara and Kogi state. They want to do a deadly attack, it’s preventable but it depends on how they will handle it. I have told you about the danger coming up.”
@primateayodele
Unfortunately, some of our military agencies don’t believe spiritual intelligence can save the country from so much danger hence, their neglect of this prophetic warning but now, it has been fulfilled with the miliary losing credibility by the day while Primate Ayodele continues to gain momentum.
Likewise, At least 26 passengers and crew sustained varying degrees of injuries on Monday following an accident involving the Kaduna–Abuja train, according to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
Opeifa explained that the train departed Rigasa in Kaduna at 7:15 a.m. and was approaching Asham station around 9:16 a.m. when a loud bang was heard after the power car and trailing locomotive collided with one of the passenger coaches.
In July 2025, Primate Ayodele asked nigerians to pray not to see train mishap on the Kaduna-Abuja route.
@primateayodele #nigeriantiktok🇳🇬 #fulfillment #train #abuja #primateayodele
“Let’s pray not to see train mishap in Abuja-Kaduna, Kaduna-Abuja route.”
This has also been fulfilled.
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