BREAKING: Oba Otudeko leaves Nigeria amid fraud allegations

Dr. Oba Otudeko, a former chairman of First Bank of Nigeria (FBN), has reportedly left Nigeria following allegations of fraud.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) filed a 13-count charge against him and three others for allegedly obtaining loans totaling N30 billion under false pretenses.

Sources revealed that Otudeko left the country through a land border on Thursday evening, accompanied by a family member who dropped him at the Nigeria-Benin border.

Efforts to reach him for comments were unsuccessful as his phone was switched off, though messages sent to his WhatsApp were delivered without a response.

The EFCC has named Stephen Olabisi Onasanya, a former group managing director of FBN, Soji Akintayo, an ex-board member of Honeywell Flour Mills, and Anchorage Limited, a company linked to Otudeko, as co-defendants.

The loans, obtained between 2013 and 2014, were allegedly secured by firms under false pretenses.

In a statement issued by the Honeywell Group, Otudeko denied the allegations, stating he had not been officially summoned by the EFCC.

He emphasized his commitment to cooperating with authorities and defending his reputation.

The case, filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos, is scheduled for arraignment on Monday.