BREAKING: Court grants Mercy Chinwo’s ex-manager N20m bail

A Federal High Court in Lagos has granted bail to music executive and former manager of gospel singer Mercy Chinwo, Ezekiel Onyedikachi, popularly known as EeZeeTee, in the sum of N20 million.

Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, who presided over the case on Friday, ruled that the bail must be secured with one surety who resides in Lagos and owns property equivalent to the bail amount. The judge gave EeZeeTee 72 hours to meet the bail conditions. Until then, he remains in the custody of his lawyer, Ojukwu Chikaosolu.

EeZeeTee is facing a seven-count amended charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), involving an alleged $255,000 foreign exchange fraud.

The EFCC had earlier filed 14 counts against him before revising the charges to focus on illegal forex transactions. The prosecution alleged that in June 2023, EeZeeTee conducted a foreign exchange deal worth $52,895 with one Mr. Oladotun Olaobaju Mureke, without the required license from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

EFCC counsel, Bilikisu Buhari-Bala, told the court the act contravened Sections 5 and 29(1)(c) of the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, Cap F34, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and is punishable under Section 29(2) of the same Act.

EeZeeTee pleaded not guilty to all charges. The case was adjourned to June 20, 2025, for trial.