These are certainly not the best of times for renowned gospel music promoter and former manager of popular singer, Mercy Chinwo, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu ThankGod, popularly known as Eezee Tee. He has been arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on allegations of money laundering involving $397,106 (approximately ₦638,546,448).
The arraignment took place on Wednesday, 7 May 2025, before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos. Eezee Tee and his company, Eezee Global Concepts Limited, are facing a refiled seven-count amended charge relating to alleged foreign exchange violations and money laundering activities.
The charges stem from financial transactions conducted between 2023 and 2024, which prosecutors claim contravened Nigeria’s foreign exchange and anti-money laundering laws.
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 authorized dealers of foreign exchange as appointed by the Central Bank of Nigeria, negotiated a foreign exchange transaction involving the naira equivalent of $52,895 with Mr. Oladotun Olaobaju Mureke, thereby committing 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 alleges that the defendant failed to declare foreign inflows into the company’s bank account: “That you, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu ThankGod, and Eezee Global Concepts Limited, sometime in 2024 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, failed to submit to the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering a declaration of activities, during which period a total of $137,383 was paid into Eezee Concepts Limited’s Zenith Bank account (Account No. 5070522520), thereby violating Sections 6(1)(a) and 19(1)(f) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and punishable under Section 19(2)(b) of the same Act.”
Eezee Tee pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Following the plea, EFCC’s lead prosecutor, Bilkisu Buhari-Bala, urged the court to fix a date for trial and requested the defendant be remanded in a correctional facility. However, defence counsel, Chikaozolu Ojukwu (SAN), appealed for bail on liberal terms and requested that the defendant be released into his custody pending trial.
Buhari-Bala opposed the bail request, citing a 16-paragraph counter-affidavit filed on 4 March 2025 by EFCC investigator, Mohammed Adamu. She told the court the defendant had repeatedly evaded service and failed to honour previous EFCC invitations, despite being granted administrative bail.
Justice Aneke adjourned ruling on the bail application to 9 May 2025. In the meantime, he ordered that the defendant be released temporarily into the custody of his lawyer.
