The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Lagos-based businessman Wilson Opuwei and his company, Dateline Energy Services Ltd., on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, before Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, over an alleged fraud involving $550,000.
Opuwei faces a four-count charge relating to obtaining money by false pretences and stealing.
The first count alleges that in April 2011, Opuwei and his company, intending to defraud, obtained $500,000 from Prince Donatus Okonkwo through an intermediary, under the false claim that the money was payment for the allocation of 5,000 metric tonnes of Due Purpose Kerosene (DPK) from the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC). The prosecution stated that this claim was knowingly false.
The second count similarly alleges that in April 2011, Opuwei and his company obtained an additional $50,000 from Okonkwo, again under the false pretense that it was part payment for the same kerosene allocation.
Opuwei had been previously arraigned on May 23, 2011, before Justice Habeeb Abiru of the Lagos State High Court. The case was later transferred to Justice Fadipe to restart the trial afresh.
The prosecution, led by Nwandu Ukoha on behalf of Fadeke Giwa, stated that Opuwei allegedly collected the total $550,000 in Lagos under the false claim that he would supply Okonkwo with 5,000 metric tonnes of kerosene from PPMC, a promise he knew he could not fulfill.
When the charges were read, Opuwei pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution noted that its case had previously been closed in 2015, but the defence never opened its case, necessitating a restart. The trial has also been delayed over the years due to the elevation of judges and deliberate stalling by the defence. The case moved from Justice Abiru, who was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2012, to Justice Onigbagbo, then Justice Lawal Akapo, and finally to Justice Fadipe.
The defence counsel reminded the court that Opuwei was granted bail on May 22, 2012, and requested that he continue under the same bail terms.
Justice Fadipe granted the continuation of bail and scheduled the trial for March 19, 30, 31, and April 1 and 2, 2026.
