Court Orders Arrest of Access Bank Acting MD, Bolaji Agbede, Others

 

Lagos State High Court Judge, Justice Ibironke Harrison, has issued an arrest warrant for the Acting Managing Director of Access Bank, Bolaji Agbede, alongside three other defendants for their failure to appear for arraignment.

The order, which was given on Friday, also affected Balmoral International Limited, DDSS International Company Limited, and Adejare Adegbenro.

The Lagos State prosecution counsel, Uthman Rilwan, informed the court that notices had been served to the defendants, yet they failed to attend the arraignment.

The Lagos State government has filed a four-count charge of conspiracy, stealing, and attempted theft against the defendants.

During the proceedings, Rilwan disclosed that on or about September 2, 2013, the defendants allegedly conspired to commit theft at Plot 1261, Adeola Hopewell Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. They were accused of unlawfully using the property of MOB Integrated Services, located at Plot 40B, Bourdillon Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, as security for a loan without the consent of the rightful owner.

Continuing, the prosecutor claimed that on May 26, 2019, the defendants attempted to steal the same property by offering and granting DDSS International Company Limited a credit facility of N1 billion.

According to the prosecution, these actions contravened Sections 411, 280, and 21 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.

Rilwan urged the court to issue a bench warrant, stating, “My Lord, this matter is for arraignment today, and the defendants have been duly served with a copy of the charge. We request the court to issue a bench warrant for the defendant’s arrest to ensure they attend proceedings on the next court date.”

Justice Harrison granted the prosecutor’s request, issuing a bench warrant for the second to fifth defendants, including Agbede, Balmoral International Limited, and DDSS International Company Limited. The judge directed that the bench warrant be executed against the principal officers of the affected entities.

The case was adjourned to February 24, 2025, for the arraignment of the defendants.