Justice S. M. Mayana of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo, Abuja, has sentenced Daniel Ameh to two years in prison over a N35 million fraud.
The verdict was delivered on Monday, May 5, 2025, following his trial for criminal misappropriation.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) brought Ameh before the court on a single count charge under Section 309 of the Penal Code.
Despite pleading “not guilty,” the prosecution, led by Ibrahim Buba, presented three witnesses and submitted documentary evidence.
At the conclusion of the proceedings, Justice Mayana handed down a two-year sentence with an option of a N1 million fine.
In addition, the judge directed Ameh to refund N22 million to his victim, Inalegu Egwa.
Investigations revealed that in 2021, Ameh had advised Egwa to register a Bureau de Change (BDC) business.
Egwa agreed and engaged Ameh to handle the registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and apply for the necessary licence from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Egwa subsequently paid N36 million into Ameh’s account, which was meant for remittance to the CBN.
However, in 2022, the CBN cancelled all BDC registrations and instructed affected applicants to provide their account details for a refund.
Rather than notify Egwa and forward his details to the CBN, Ameh allegedly kept him in the dark and converted the funds for personal use.
