Lagos Court Hears How Contractors Paid N268.5million Into NRC Director’s Account In Alleged N395million Fraud Trial

A prosecution witness in the trial of a senior official of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has revealed before a Lagos court how contractors handling railway projects allegedly paid a total of N268.5 million into the defendant’s account.

The defendant, Oche Jerry Ogbole-Inalegwu, the Director of Mechanical Services at the NRC, is standing trial over an alleged N395.19million fraud.

He was arraigned on February 25, 2026, on a nine-count charge.

Testifying before Justice Mojisola Dada at the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja on Thursday, the first prosecution witness, a compliance officer with Access Bank Plc, told the court that N268,503,653 was traced to accounts linked to the defendant.

Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel Abba Mohammed (SAN), the witness detailed how multiple payments were made by contractors and individuals connected to NRC projects.

Among those listed were China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), Abads Ventures Limited, Waliki Nigeria Limited, Goa Multilink, Luscord International, and several others.

According to the witness, the transactions occurred between February 12, 2019 and October 8, 2025.

One of the charges before the court alleges that Ogbole-Inalegwu, while serving as Railway District Manager and operating under the name Altech Engineering Services, received N11.39million from CCECC through an Access Bank account linked to the company, in connection with contracts awarded by the NRC.

During cross-examination, defence counsel Modechi Adejoh challenged the witness on how transaction narrations are recorded and how banks identify senders and recipients of funds.

The witness responded that transaction descriptions vary depending on banking formats and do not follow a single standard.

Following the testimony and arguments from counsel, Justice Dada adjourned the matter until June 4, 2026, for continuation of trial.

The case is being prosecuted by Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).