Mercy Chinwo’s ex-manager Eezee Tee arraigned over alleged $397,106 money laundering

The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, 7 May 2025, arraigned popular music promoter Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu ThankGod, popularly known as Eezee Tee, before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos.

ThankGod, alongside his company, Eezee Global Concepts Limited, is facing a refiled seven-count amended charge bordering on alleged foreign exchange violations and money laundering amounting to $397,106.

The case, which initially commenced before Justice Owoeye of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, was reassigned to Justice Aneke for further proceedings.

One of the counts reads: “That you, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu Thankgod and Eezee Global Concepts Limited, sometime in June 2023 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, not being an authorized buyer of foreign exchange currency appointed by the Central Bank of Nigeria under Section 5(1) of Foreign Exchange Monitoring and Miscellaneous (Provisions) Act CAP F34 LFN 2004 negotiated a foreign exchange transaction to wit: the naira equivalent of the sum of $52,895 with Mr Oladotun Olaobaju Mureke and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 5 and 29(1)(c) of the Foreign Exchange Monitoring and Miscellaneous (Provisions) Act Cap F34 LFN 2004 and punishable under Section 29(2) of the same Act.”;

Another count reads: “That you, Ezekiel Onyedikachuwu Thankgod and Eezee Global Concepts Limited, sometime in 2024 Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, failed to submit to the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering a declaration of your activities of the said company within which period the total sum of $137,383 paid into Eezee Concepts Limited account number 5070522520 domiciled in Zenith Bank, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 6(1) (a),19(1)(f) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section19 (2)(b) of the same Act.”;

The defendant pleaded “not guilty”; to all charges when they were read out in court.

Following the plea, prosecuting counsel Bilkisu Buhari-Bala requested the court to fix a date for trial and urged that the defendant be remanded in a correctional centre.

However, defence counsel Chikaozolu Ojukwu, SAN, appealed to the court to grant his client bail on “the most liberal terms”; and to permit him to remain in his custody pending trial.

Buhari-Bala informed the court that the prosecution had filed a 16-paragraph counter-affidavit, sworn by EFCC investigator Mohammed Adamu on 4 March 2025, opposing the bail application.

She noted that the defendant had evaded service on several occasions and had consistently failed to respond to invitations from the commission, despite having been granted administrative bail.

Consequently, she urged the court not to grant the request for the defendant’s release to his counsel.

Justice Aneke adjourned ruling on the bail application until 9 May 2025 and, in the interim, released the defendant into the custody of his lawyer.