Justice Ibironke Harrison of the Lagos State High Court, sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square, has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Access Bank’s acting Managing Director, Bolaji Agbede, along with three others, for failing to appear in court for their arraignment.
The arrest order also applies to Balmoral International Limited, DDSS International Company Limited, and Adejare Adegbenro. The judge acted on a request by Lagos State prosecution counsel, Uthman Rilwan, who informed the court that the defendants were duly served with the notice of arraignment but failed to appear.
The Lagos State government had filed a four-count charge of conspiracy, stealing, and attempted theft against the defendants. Prosecutors allege that, in 2013, the defendants conspired to use a property belonging to MOB Integrated Services as security for a loan without the owner’s consent, later entering into a consent judgment.
Additionally, the defendants are accused of attempting to steal the same property in 2019 by offering and granting DDSS International Company Limited a N1 billion credit facility.
Prosecutor Rilwan noted that these acts contravene Sections 411, 280, and 21 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2011. He urged the court to issue a bench warrant to compel the defendants’ attendance at the next hearing.
Granting the request, Justice Harrison ordered the arrest of the second to fifth defendants and directed the enforcement of the bench warrant against the principal officers. The case was adjourned to February 24, 2025, for arraignment.
