ABUJA — An Abuja High Court has discharged former Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, and her former aide, Gloria Odita, from a N2.5 billion fraud charge following a plea bargain reached with the prosecution.
Justice Hamza Muazu ordered their discharge after the prosecution formally discontinued the case against them, having secured a plea agreement with parties involved.
However, the court proceeded to convict two companies linked to the former minister—Sobora International Limited and Global Offshore and Marine Limited on amended charges.
The prosecution, led by Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, informed the court that an amended two-count charge had been filed against the firms in line with the plea bargain arrangement. Proceedings were briefly stood down earlier in the day to allow parties address issues surrounding legal representation for the companies.
Under the amended charges, Sobora International Limited was accused of unlawful possession of N838 million, while Global Offshore and Marine Limited was alleged to have possessed N1.629 billion unlawfully.
Upon the companies’ guilty plea, Oyedepo urged the court to convict them, order their winding up, and direct that N1.2 billion paid as restitution be forfeited to the Federal Government.
He further requested that an additional N780 million recovered during investigation be similarly forfeited.
Defence counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, and Wale Balogun, SAN, did not oppose the application.
In his ruling, Justice Muazu convicted the companies, ordered their winding up, and directed that both the N1.2 billion restitution and the N780 million recovered be forfeited to the Federal Government.
The court also struck out the earlier charge dated October 13, 2025, which had included Oduah and Odita, thereby formally discharging them.
Oduah had been arraigned in December 2025 alongside Odita by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation on a five-count charge bordering on alleged fraud, obtaining by false pretence, and criminal breach of trust. The prosecution had alleged that the defendants conspired in January 2014 to obtain about N2.4 billion from the Federal Ministry of Aviation through Broad Waters Resources Nigeria Ltd and Global Offshore Marine Ltd under false claims. Both had pleaded not guilty prior to the plea bargain.
