Court amends charges as key suspect remains at large in alleged suicide, fraud case involving Uyi Technical CEO’s daughter

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The Federal High Court sitting in Benin City has taken a significant turn in the ongoing legal proceedings surrounding the alleged suicide and financial crimes linked to the death of Mrs Lilian Omokhuale, daughter of prominent Edo businessman, Omoruyi Oloton, CEO of Uyi Technical Limited.

At the centre of the legal reshuffle is Jessica Iguodala Oghomwen, who now stands as the first defendant in a newly amended charge sheet, with two others, Akpes Omorodion and Esther Eguomo Oisamoje, declared at large. 

This shift comes after the court discharged three previously accused persons: Chukwudi Akpotowho, Blessing Jatto, and Vincent Uhunmwangho, following an application by the prosecution, acting on a directive from the Inspector General of Police.

Justice B. O. Quadri presided over the hearing, during which the prosecution counsel, P. O. Odion Esq, substituted the initial charge sheet dated 24 July 2024 with a revised version dated 22 May 2025. 

The changes significantly altered the course of the trial by narrowing the scope of the accused and sharpening focus on Jessica Oghomwen, whose repeated absence from court has drawn stern rebuke from the bench.

The amended charges allege that, in 2020, the trio conspired to commit money laundering, operated an illegal banking business without a valid licence, and aided the suicide of Mrs Omokhuale. 

They are also accused of forging or unlawfully procuring a Deed of Transfer involving the deceased and a man named Akpes Omorodion, dated 23 January 2025.

Jessica Oghomwen’s persistent failure to appear in court has become a defining feature of the case. 

On November 2024, Justice Quadri issued a bench warrant for her arrest. 

At a hearing on 4 February 2025, the prosecution told the court that Oghomwen was wilfully avoiding trial and treating the court with contempt, suggesting that her arrest might now require INTERPOL’s intervention.

Her legal representation has changed hands during the course of the trial. 

While her former counsel, O. I. Asenoguan, had previously apologized to the court and claimed she was receiving medical treatment in Germany, her new lawyer, Dele Igbinedion, has since challenged the court's actions. 

He questioned the lack of effort to verify her condition abroad and filed a Motion on Notice seeking to quash the charges and vacate the bench warrant.

The court was expected to rule on that motion at Thursday’s hearing, but the introduction of the new charge sheet superseded those arguments. 

The case has now been adjourned until 10 July 2025.

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