The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday issued a bench warrant for the arrest of four defendants over their failure to appear in court for their trial for allegedly defrauding Opay Digital Services Ltd over N150 million.
Justice Salim Ibrahim gave the order after John Ijagbemi, counsel for the prosecution, made the oral application in line with Section 394 of Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
He directed the Inspector-Genaral (I-G) of Police to produce the defendants in court on the next adjourned date.
The judge also ordered the chief registrar of the court to write to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and other necessary legal bodies in repect of the conduct of the defendants’ counsel, U.M. Umar.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the I-G, in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/398/2026, had sued Isah Ladan, Nasiru Umar, Umar Mohammed and Abubakar Ibrahim as 1st to 4th defendants respectively.
The police boss, in the charge dated and filed on July 8 by Ijabemi of Directotate of Legal Services, preferred a four counts against the defendants.
In count three, Ladan, Umar, Mohammed, Ibrahim and others now at large were alleged to have sometimes between November and December 2025 in Bida, Niger State, committed the offence.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants allegedly committed offences bordering on identify theft and impersonation, by defrauding Opay Digital Services Limited in the sum of N150,538,000.
They were accused of making false representations as agents of Opay Limited to innocent persons, using their National Identify Cards and sim cards to steal their identities.
The offence is said to be punishable under Section 14 (1) of Cybercrimes (Prohibition, and Prevention) Act, 2015 (as amended) in 2024.
In count two, the defendants and others now at large were alleged to have committed an offence bordering on computer related fraud, in that they unlawfully imputed innocent persons’ data into the Opay Limited system for the purpose of conferring economic benefits on themselves.
The offence is said to be punishable under Section 24 (2)(a)(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention Act, 2015).
When the case was called on Friday, neither the defendants nor their lawyer were in court.
Ijabemi recalled that on Wednesday when the case was initially slated to come up, the defendants and their lawyer, Umar, stalled the arraignment as a result of their coming to court behind scheduled time.
He said the defence had applied that the matter be stood down, citing problems with the defendant’s vehicle on their way from Niger State.
The prosecuting counsel said the matter was later adjourned until today but neither the lawyer nor the defendants were in court and no reason was given.
The judge also recalled that he had told the lawyer when they arrived in court after sitting on the last adjourned date that they should look for a hotel to put up against today’s hearing since they do not reside in Abuja.
Justice Ibrahim said Umar responded that Niger State was just about an hour drive to Abuja.
He, however, wondered why they were not in court and no reason was adduced to their absence.
After Ijagbemi moved the oral application, the judge granted the prayer and invoke the section of the law to ordered the defendants’ arrest.
