The Lagos High Court in Ikeja has sentenced former Afromedia Plc director, Alhaji Mohammed Gobir, to seven years in prison for orchestrating a complex multi-million-naira and foreign-currency fraud scheme.
Justice Raliat Adebiyi convicted Gobir on all 17 counts filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which included charges of stealing, obtaining by false pretences, forgery, and possession of fraudulent documents.
The EFCC began its prosecution in 2016 following a detailed petition from Afromedia Plc. The company accused Gobir of deploying a web of deception and financial manipulation that drained hundreds of millions of naira and large sums in foreign currency from its accounts.
According to court records and the EFCC’s case, Gobir fraudulently secured a board position at Afromedia by falsely pledging a ₦1 billion investment. Once on the board, he allegedly siphoned off $3.5 million, ₦514.4 million, $2.1 million, and £51,000 under various false pretences.
One particularly audacious claim involved a request for $250,000 to allegedly retrieve $250 million purportedly held by British anti-money laundering authorities — a claim Justice Adebiyi later dismissed as entirely fabricated.
In another instance, Gobir persuaded Afromedia to release over ₦514 million by falsely claiming the money was needed to facilitate a $70 million transfer from a fictitious London bank account.
Authorities arrested Gobir in September 2015 at his Ikoyi residence after months of EFCC investigation into what officials described as one of the most elaborate cases of boardroom fraud in Nigeria.
In her judgement, Justice Adebiyi described Gobir’s actions as a gross breach of trust and a flagrant abuse of his fiduciary responsibilities. She called his manipulation of corporate structures for personal enrichment “a betrayal of confidence.”
The EFCC hailed the ruling as a landmark in the fight against economic and corporate crimes, stating it reinforces the principle that “no one is above the law, regardless of status or influence.”