A Federal Capital Territory High Court has discharged former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, from a ₦2.5 billion fraud case following a plea bargain agreement reached with the prosecution.
The ruling was delivered by Justice Hamza Muazu, who also discharged Gloria Odita, a former aide to the ex-minister. The court’s decision came after the prosecution informed the court that it had discontinued the case against the two individuals based on the terms of the agreement.
Despite their discharge, the case did not end entirely, as two companies linked to the matter Sobora International Limited and Global Offshore and Marine Limited remained as defendants in an amended charge. The prosecution proceeded against the companies, accusing them of unlawfully possessing large sums of money connected to the alleged fraud.
According to the amended charges, Sobora International Limited was linked to ₦838 million, while Global Offshore and Marine Limited was associated with ₦1.629 billion. Both companies, through their representatives, entered guilty pleas.
Following the plea, the prosecution urged the court to convict the companies and order their winding up. It also requested the forfeiture of funds recovered during the investigation, including ₦1.2 billion paid as restitution and an additional ₦780 million already traced.
In his judgment, Justice Muazu convicted the companies based on their guilty plea and ordered that they be wound up. He further directed that the total sum recovered be forfeited to the Federal Government.
The court also struck out the earlier charge filed in October 2025, which had included Oduah and Odita as defendants, effectively bringing the case against them to an end.
The case dates back to December 2025, when both women were arraigned on multiple counts, including alleged fraud, obtaining by false pretence, and criminal breach of trust. Prosecutors had claimed that the defendants were involved in a scheme to obtain over ₦2.4 billion from the Federal Ministry of Aviation through companies under disputed claims.
With the latest ruling, the focus of the case has now shifted entirely to the convicted companies, while the former minister and her aide have been formally cleared through the plea bargain process.
