The Head of Legal Department of ECO Bank, Northern Region, Ridwan Abdulwahab, has been ordered into custody at Kuje prison in Abuja after being arraigned on charges of perjury and defamation.
Chief Magistrate Musa Sadiq issued the remand order on Thursday, the 11th of September, 2025, after the Inspector General of Police (IGP) brought Abdulwahab to court for allegedly giving false evidence under oath and attempting to damage the reputation of Justice Charles Agbaza of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
According to the IGP, Abdulwahab, who is both a banker and a lawyer, swore to an affidavit containing false statements in a move to stop his bank from paying a judgment debt of N228.4m awarded against the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in favor of a local company, Vision Kam Jay.
In the affidavit, he claimed that the writ of execution used to enforce the garnishee absolute order against ECO Bank, mandating payment of the sum was not signed by Justice Charles Agbaza.
Court records show otherwise, The High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court had all ruled that ECOWAS must pay the N228m debt to Vision Kam Jay for a contract executed for the regional body.
ECO Bank complied in 2020 by paying the money into the company’s account but immediately restricted the account with a “Post No Debt” (PND) order, preventing access to the funds.
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This action prompted a Direct Complaint from the judgment creditor, accusing Abdulwahab of giving false evidence. Chief Magistrate Farida Ibrahim referred the complaint to the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Zone 7, for investigation.
The investigation report from AIG Zone 7 concluded that Abdulwahab’s claim was false. It confirmed that the writ of execution was “dully signed by Justice Charles Agbaza” before enforcement. The report also indicated that the false affidavit was filed to protect ECOWAS and frustrate the creditor’s access to the funds.
Abdulwahab was subsequently charged with perjury under sections 158 and 392 of the Penal Code, laws of Northern Nigeria. He pleaded not guilty when the charge was read.
His lawyer, Mr. Kalat Jatu, tried to stop the arraignment by arguing that the First Information Report (FIR) was defective. Magistrate Musa Sadiq dismissed the objection, stating that “section 396 of the Administration of Criminal Justice ACJA did not permit granting such request.”
Jatu also requested bail for his client, but prosecutor Bale Nimnan strongly opposed, arguing that Abdulwahab had earlier resisted police summons. In a short ruling, Magistrate Sadiq refused the oral bail request, directing that any bail application must be filed formally and served on the prosecution.
The Magistrate then ordered Abdulwahab’s remand at Kuje prison pending a decision on the written bail application.