When the charges were read in court, Opuwei pleaded not guilty to all counts.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday, arraigned a businessman, Wilson Opuwei, alongside his company, Dateline Energy Services Ltd., before Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, over an alleged $550,000 fraud.
Opuwei was arraigned on a four-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretences and stealing. The charges stem from allegations that he fraudulently obtained funds from a businessman under the guise of securing petroleum product allocations.
Count one of the charges reads: "Wilson E. A. Opuwei and Dateline Energy Services Ltd sometimes in April 2011 at Lagos within the Ikeja judicial division with intent to defraud obtained the sum of $500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Dollars) through one Chimaobi Anyast, from Prince Donatus Okonkwo under the false pretence that the money represent payment for allocation of 5000 metric tons of Due Purpose Kerosene (DPK) to him from Petroleum Product Marketing Company (PPMC) which pretence you knew was false.”
Count two reads: "Wilson E. A. Opuwei and Dateline Energy Services Ltd sometimes in April 2011 Lagos within the Ikeja judicial division with intent to defraud obtained the sum $50,000 (Fifty Thousand Dollars) through one Chimaobi Anyaso from Prince Donatus Okonkwo under the false pretence that the money represents part payment for allocation of 5000 metric tons of Due Purpose Kerosene (DPK) to him from Petroleum Product Marketing Company (PPMC) which pretence you knew was false."
The defendant was previously arraigned on May 23, 2011, before Justice Habeeb Abiru of the Lagos State High Court. However, the matter was later transferred to Justice Abike-Fadipe, with the court ordering that the trial should commence de novo.
According to the prosecution, led by Nwandu Ukoha, who is holding brief for Fadeke Giwa, Opuwei allegedly obtained the total sum of $550,000 sometime in April 2011 in Lagos from Prince Donatus Okonkwo under the false pretence that he would supply him with 5000 metric tonnes of kerosene from the Pipeline Products and Marketing Company (PPMC), a claim the prosecution maintained the defendant knew to be false.
When the charges were read in court, Opuwei pleaded not guilty to all counts.
The prosecution further informed the court that it had closed its case as far back as 2015, 11 years ago, while the defence failed to open its case, a development that necessitated the trial starting afresh.
It was also disclosed that the prolonged nature of the case resulted from the elevation of successive trial judges and what the prosecution described as deliberate delay by the defence.
The matter was initially handled by Justice Abiru before his elevation to the Court of Appeal in 2012. It was subsequently reassigned to Justice Onigbagbo, then to Justice Lawal Akapo, who was also elevated to the Court of Appeal, before finally being reassigned to Justice Abike-Fadipe.
During proceedings, defence counsel reminded the court that the defendant was admitted to bail on May 22, 2012, by Justice Abiru and urged the court to allow Opuwei to continue under the same bail conditions.
In his ruling, Justice Abike-Fadipe ordered that the first defendant should continue on the bail earlier granted and adjourned the matter to March 19, 30, and 31, as well as April 1 and 2, 2026, for trial.