The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi SAN, has decided to withdraw the fiat previously granted to prosecute Zinox Technologies Chairman, Mr. Stan Ekeh, and 12 others in connection with a case that dates back 13 years. The case stemmed from a business agreement between Citadel Oracle Concept Limited, an Ibadan-based computer firm owned by Mr. Benjamin Joseph, and Technology Distributions Limited to supply computers to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). Technology Distributions provided full credit to Citadel for the transaction, which had no link to Mr. Ekeh or Zinox Technologies.
A letter from the AGF, dated May 2, 2025, instructed the withdrawal of charge FCT/HC/CR/985/2024 (FRN v. Leo Stan Ekeh & 12 others). The letter, signed by M. Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions, emphasised that the fiat should never have been issued and stated that the decision was made in the interest of justice. The communication also referred to another case, FRN v. Chris Eze Ozims & 6 others (Charge No: CR/827/2013), and called for the withdrawal of the fiat granted on December 20, 2023.
On May 6, 2025, the Director of Public Prosecutions confirmed receipt of several petitions requesting the withdrawal and communicated this to the defendants’ legal representatives. After reviewing the facts, the AGF concluded that the fiat was invalid. This move follows a similar decision by former AGF Abubakar Malami, who revoked a previous fiat in October 2022. A related charge filed at the time was dismissed by two judges of the FCT High Court, and the case was subsequently dismissed by Justice Akpan Ebong in March 2025, who called it a “gross abuse of court process.”
Earlier court rulings have also confirmed that Mr. Ekeh and the other defendants were victims of a fraudulent scheme by Mr. Joseph and Citadel Oracle Concept. This marked the third time charges had been filed on the same issue. Previous attempts to proceed with the case had been blocked, with two judges declaring the case legally unsound. In 2013, police investigations revealed that Mr. Joseph had provided false information, leading to charges under Charge No. CR/216/16 by the Inspector General of Police.
