Court orders Attachment of Jessica Iguodala’s Property in Money Laundering Case

BENIN CITY: A Federal High Court sitting in Benin City has granted an interim order for the attachment of property belonging to Jessica Oghomwen Iguodala in connection with Charge No. FHC/B/5C/2024.

The order followed an ex-parte motion dated October 26, 2026, filed by the police prosecutor, P. I. Odion, Esq., seeking the attachment of Jessica’s property at No. 127, Independent Street, off Ighomwenghian Street, off Upper Sakponba Road, Benin City.

The motion was supported by a 12-paragraph affidavit deposed to by the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), two exhibits marked “NPF 1” and “NPF 2”, and a written address.

Justice B. O. Quadri, the presiding Judge said the application was intended to compel her appearance before the court.

Responding to the submission by Imagbeghian, counsel to the defendant, Odion said that Jessica, as the only surviving child of her mother, inherited the property.

Imagbeghian, Esq. had opposed the motion, arguing that the processes were defective under the Administration of Criminal Justice Law.

Nothing that he just appeared for a while, he also submitted that the court had no reason to believe that his client, who is a suspect, had absconded.

However, counsel to Omoruyi Oloton, Chief Executive Officer of Uyi Technical Limited and the nominal complainant, Douglas Ogbankua, Esq., leading S. U. Obazee, Osamede Enababor, A. J. Onwunaje and O. T. Okeke, described Imagbeghian as a meddlesome interloper, arguing that there was no correspondence before the court indicating that he had been formally engaged as Jessica’s counsel.

Ogbankua further accused Imagbeghian of encouraging his client to evade justice and described his appearance for Jessica as contempt of court.

Recall that the court had ordered the publication of a public summons compelling Jessica Iguodala Oghomwen to appear before it on or before March 12, 2026, to answer charges bordering on alleged money laundering, operating a financial institution without a licence, and aiding the suicide of Lilian Omokhuale, daughter of Oloton.

The order followed an ex-parte motion moved by the prosecutor, P. O. Odion, following an amended charge in the case.

The court directed that the public summons be published in two national newspapers, including The Nigerian Observer and Vanguard, and that a copy be pasted on the notice board of the Federal High Court on Sapele Road, Benin City. The directives have since been complied with.

The application was supported by a written address, a nine-paragraph affidavit and a warrant of arrest earlier issued on November 19, 2024.

In the affidavit, the prosecutor averred that Oghomwen had failed to appear before the court to take her plea, prompting the issuance of a warrant of arrest to compel her attendance.

He further alleged that the defendant had absconded and was concealing herself to frustrate the execution of the warrant.

Arguing the motion, Odion cited Section 41 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2025, which empowers a court to order the publication of a public summons where it has reason to believe that a suspect against whom a warrant of arrest has been issued has absconded or is in hiding, making the execution of the warrant impossible.

The provision requires such a summons to direct the person concerned to appear at a specified place and time not less than 30 days from the date of publication.