Veteran musician, Mr Felix Duke, was on Thursday, November 12, 2026, brought before Justice Ismail Ijelu of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.
He was arraigned yesterday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for an alleged N21.3 million fraud. The singer is facing trial on a four-count charge bordering on stealing, obtaining money by false pretence, retention of proceeds of crime, and giving false information.
“That you, Felix Duke Osagie, sometime in 2020, within the jurisdiction of this court, with a dishonest intent, stole and converted for your use the sum of N21,250,000, property of one Mr Joseph Onuh Oguche, thereby committing an offence of stealing contrary to Section 280 and punishable under Section 287 of Criminal Laws of Lagos 2015,” one of the charges read.
“That you, Felix Duke Osagie, on April 2, 2026, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this court, with intention to mislead, made a false statement to officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in the course of investigation, of the existence a land you had authority to sell, which is situate at Ise in Ibeju- Lekki, Lagos, which to your knowledge is false, thereby committing an offence to wit, false information contrary to and punishable by Section 39 of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission Establishment Act, No.1 of 2004,” another charge read.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to him, prompting the prosecution counsel, Mr Abdulhamid Lamido Tukur, to ask the court for a trial date and pray that the defendant be remanded in a correctional centre.
But the defence counsel, Mr Sunday Afolabi, informed the court about a pending bail application dated November 4, 2026, and filed on November 5, 2026, according to a statement from the EFCC.
According to him, the application was supported by an 18-paragraph affidavit deposed to by the defendant’s wife, urging the court to grant bail to the defendant on very liberal terms or on self-recognisance.
In response, Mr Tukur told the court that the prosecution had filed a counter-affidavit dated November 10, 2026, appealing to the court to consider paragraph six of the counter-affidavit, stating that the defendant had jumped bail since July 2026.
The prosecution counsel also disclosed his intention to call four witnesses during the trial, saying, “We filed a 14-paragraph counter-affidavit, urging the court to reject the bail application.
“The defendant had jumped EFCC’s administrative bail since July.
“Also, the defendant has been carrying on with his fundamental rights enforcement suit in another court through his legal counsel.”
Justice Ijelu granted the defendant bail in the sum of N10 million, with two sureties in like sum. One of the sureties must be a blood relative of the defendant.
Both sureties must be resident in Lagos; must have paid taxes to the Lagos State Government within the last three years, and must also provide evidence of a verifiable source of income.
Justice Ojelu further ordered the defendant to surrender his passport to the Court’s Registrar. The judge also barred him from travelling outside of Nigeria pending the conclusion of the matter.
Justice Ijelu adjourned until December 16, 2026, for the commencement of trial and ordered the defendant to be remanded in a correctional facility pending the perfection of his bail conditions.
