A Chief Magistrate Court, sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, has fixed January 30 for the hearing of a criminal case instituted by the state government against the bUnited Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) and four of its top officials over alleged illegal opening of local government accounts.

The case, filed by the government, is before the Chief Magistrate Court in the Osogbo Magisterial District, and is marked Charge No: MOS/601c/2025.

The defendants in the suit are: the UBA Plc, its Group Managing Director, Mr. Oliver Alawuba, the Company Secretary and Group Legal Adviser, Mr. Billy Odum, and the Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Chukwuma Nweke.

According to the charge sheet, the government filed the 31-count charge against the bank and its officials, with each count relating to alleged infractions involving opening of bank accounts for the state’s 30 local government councils.

In count one, the prosecution alleged that the defendants, on or about December 9, 2025, and on subsequent days, at UBA’S Osun State branch office located in the Olonkoro area of Osogbo, conspired to commit a felony by opening, operating and maintaining what it described as illegal Osun State Local Government Council accounts.

The alleged offence, the charge stated, occurred within the Osogbo Magisterial District and is said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume 2, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.

They were specifically accused of allowing the opening, operation and maintenance of accounts for each of the local government councils “by unknown private individuals as signatories” after the Local Government Service Commission had introduced to the defendants, Directors of Administration and General Services and Directors of Finance of all the local governments as signatories to the councils’ statutory accounts “and thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 2 and 3 (1) and (2), and punishable under Section 5(1) and (2) of Osun State Local Government Accounts Administration Law, 2025.”

Court documents indicate that the remaining counts similarly relate to the alleged opening and operation of accounts connected to all the 30 local government councils in the state, actions which the state government contends were carried out unlawfully.

At the last sitting, the Chief Magistrate, A. A. Adeyeba, ordered that the defendants be served by their various email addresses and other means of substituted service. He then adjourned the matter to January 30 for hearing.

As of the time of filing this report, no plea had been taken from the defendants, and UBA had yet to issue an official public response to the charges.

The case is expected to attract significant public and legal interest, given its implications for local government finances and the involvement of one of Nigeria’s major commercial banks. (Nigerian Tribune)

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