The Supreme Court of Nigeria has granted the request for the extradition of Princewill Ugonna Anuebunwa, who is wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to the United States.
Anuebunwa is wanted in America to answer charges bordering on two counts of “conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aiding and abetting.”
Abubakar Malami, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice made the request via the Central Authority Unit (CAU).
Akutah Pius Ukeyima is the head of the department under the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja.
The Supreme Court upheld Justice Inyang Ekwo’s June 1, 2020 judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, overturning the Court of Appeal’s November 6, 2020 judgment.
The Court of Appeal had, in a judgment marked CA/A/CV/387/2020 after Anuebunwa’s suit, overturned the Federal High Court verdict, which granted the AGF’s request.
Ordering the reversal, Justice Helen Ogunwumiju, in the lead judgment read by Justice Tijani Abubakar, faulted the Court of Appeal’s decision, insisting that the suspect go defend himself.
In January 2020, Justice Mojisola Dada of Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, Special Offences section, sentenced Chibundu Joseph Anuebunwa to one year in prison.
Justice Dada ordered Anuebunwa to forfeit the sum of N29.220million found in his procession to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
He was found guilty on two charges of conspiracy to steal and retain stolen property contrary to Sections 411 and 328(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The convict committed the crime alongside his brother, Princewill Ugonna Anuebunwa, who was then at large.
The FBI filed a petition with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in July 2019, alleging that the siblings were involved in BEC, romance scams, mystery shopper fraud, and tax fraud.
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