Court Discharges Stella Oduah in N2.5bn Fraud Case

On Thursday, the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, discharged Stella Oduah, the former Minister of Aviation, of a N2.5 billion fraud charge. The court ruled that the Federal Government had confirmed receipt of the funds involved in the case, as stated by Rotimi Oyedepo, the Director of the Federal Directorate of Public Prosecutions.

Oduah's co-defendant, Gloria Odita, was also mentioned in the proceedings. The court struck out the charges against Oduah, with the next court date set for October 13, 2025.

Justice Hamza Muazu announced the discharge, while two companies linked to the alleged fraud, Sobora International Limited and Global Offshore Marine Limited, were convicted and ordered to restitute N1.2 billion to the Federal Government. Additionally, the court ordered the forfeiture of N780 million recovered during the investigation.

The alleged offenses occurred in January 2014 while Oduah served as Minister of Aviation from July 2011 to February 2014.