Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a Kaduna-based lawyer, Steve Adamu, on a charge of providing false information to the anti-graft agency, the Commission said on Tuesday.
Adamu appeared before Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court, facing a one-count charge under Section 16(1) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004. The charge alleges that on September 15, 2022, Adamu knowingly gave false information to the EFCC, which was subsequently used to launch an investigation.
The lawyer pleaded not guilty to the charge. The prosecution counsel, M.E. Eimonye, requested the court to fix a trial date, while Adamu’s defence team applied for bail.
Justice Khobo ordered that Adamu be remanded in the Nigerian Correctional Centre and adjourned the case until December 20, 2025, for the hearing of the bail application.
The EFCC said Adamu’s legal troubles arose from a petition he submitted alleging that his landlord, despite having no visible source of income, was purchasing expensive vehicles and developing properties across Kaduna. Investigations by the Commission found the claims to be false and malicious.
In a statement posted on its social media handle, the EFCC said, “Investigations proved the allegations to be false and malicious, warranting prosecution of the complainant for wilfully giving false information to the Commission.”