Ex-Afromedia Director, Mohammed Gobir, Bags 7 Years for N300m Fraud in Lagos
Justice R.I.B. Adebiyi of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has convicted and sentenced Mohammed Gobir, a former non-Executive Director of Afromedia Plc, to seven years in prison for defrauding the company of over N300 million under false pretence.
The judgment, delivered on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, marked the end of a decade-long legal battle following Gobir’s arrest by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on September 12, 2015, at his Ikoyi residence. His arrest came after a petition by Afromedia Plc, an outdoor advertising firm.
According to the petition, Gobir was introduced to Afromedia in 2008 by its private placement consultants, Synergy Capital Advisory Limited. He had pledged to invest N1 billion in the company—a claim that earned him a place on the board as Chairman of the Business Development Committee.
However, investigations revealed that Gobir used the trust reposed in him to siphon millions from the company under the guise of securing a bogus $70 million investment from a fictitious NATWEST Bank account in the UK.
On March 17, 2016, the EFCC arraigned Gobir on a 17-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, stealing, forgery, and possession of fraudulent documents.
One of the charges reads:
“That you, Mohammed Gobir, between January 2009 and December 2011 in Lagos, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N514,457,151.87 from Afromedia Plc by falsely claiming it was to facilitate a $70 million investment from your account at NATWEST Bank, UK— a claim you knew to be false.”
Gobir pleaded not guilty, prompting a full trial. The prosecution, led by EFCC counsel Nnaemeka Omewa, called four witnesses and tendered multiple documents, while the defence called three witnesses.
Justice Adebiyi, in her ruling, found Gobir guilty on multiple counts. He was sentenced to: Seven years imprisonment on count 1 (obtaining under false pretence), Six months imprisonment each on counts 4 and 5 (stealing), and Seven years imprisonment on counts 8, 11, 14, and 17 (possession of fraudulent documents).
The judge ordered the sentences to run concurrently, meaning Gobir will serve a maximum of seven years.
Furthermore, the court mandated the convict to pay $1 million USD and ₦123 million in restitution to Afromedia Plc for the theft charges.
Justice Adebiyi, however, discharged Gobir on charges related to forgery and possession of forged documents, citing insufficient evidence.
With this ruling, the EFCC scores another win in its ongoing campaign against corporate fraud and financial crimes in Nigeria. Read More
