Court Grants N20m Bail to Mercy Chinwo’s Ex-Manager EeZeeTee

The Federal High Court in Lagos has granted a N20 million bail to Ezekiel Onyedikachi, popularly known as EeZeeTee, a music producer and former manager of gospel singer Mercy Chinwo. The bail was issued in relation to a new \$255,000 alleged foreign exchange fraud case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Presiding judge, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, ruled that EeZeeTee must provide one surety who resides in Lagos and owns property equal to the bail amount. The court had previously released him to his lawyer, Ojukwu Chikaosolu, and has now given him 72 hours to meet the full bail conditions.

The EFCC initially brought a 14-count charge against EeZeeTee for alleged fraudulent conversion, but later amended it to seven counts focused on conducting foreign exchange transactions without proper licensing. According to the prosecution, led by Bilikisu Buhari-Bala, EeZeeTee negotiated an unauthorized \$52,895 forex transaction with one Mr. Oladotun Olaobaju Mureke in June 2023, without approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria. This, the EFCC claims, breaches sections of the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act and carries corresponding penalties.

EeZeeTee pleaded not guilty to the charges. The trial is scheduled to resume on June 20, 2025.