The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, has discharged former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, following the restitution of funds linked to an alleged ₦2.46 billion fraud case.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Hamza Muazu struck out the charges against Oduah and her co-defendant, Gloria Odita, after the prosecution confirmed that the Federal Government had recovered the value of the funds in question.
“The charge dated October 13, 2025, is hereby struck out, and the defendants are accordingly discharged,” the judge ruled.
The Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, informed the court that he was acting on the directive of the Attorney-General of the Federation, confirming that the government had received full restitution of the disputed funds.
Following this development, the prosecution amended the charges to retain only two companies—Sobora International Limited and Global Offshore Marine Limited—effectively removing Oduah and Odita as defendants.
Counsel to Oduah, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, and counsel to Odita, Wale Balogun, SAN, urged the court to formally withdraw the charges against their clients.
Although the prosecution initially maintained that the former defendants could still represent the companies, both parties later agreed that only the companies would stand trial, with representatives appearing on their behalf.
The Federal Government subsequently arraigned the companies on two counts of fraud.
According to the charges, Sobora International Limited was linked to ₦838 million suspected to have been illegally obtained from the Ministry of Aviation through a security firm, while Global Offshore Marine Limited was accused of receiving ₦1.629 billion from the same source.
Oduah, appearing as a representative of the companies, pleaded guilty to the amended charges.
The court consequently convicted the companies and ordered the restitution of ₦1.2 billion to the Federal Government, alongside the forfeiture of ₦780 million recovered during investigations.
