₦airaland Forum

A businessman, Sunday Okorie, collapsed in court on Wednesday while standing in the dock.

Okorie had been arraigned before the Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday for allegedly failing to declare $299,000 and being in possession of counterfeit foreign currency.

Justice Deinde Dipeolu had ordered Okorie to be remanded after he pleaded not guilty on Tuesday. The judge then adjourned the trial to Wednesday.

When the case resumed on Wednesday, Okorie’s lawyer, Uche Okoronkwo, told the court that his client wanted to change his plea to guilty.

Okoronkwo asked the court to allow the charge to be read to Okorie again.

The lawyer for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Chineye Okezie, confirmed that Okorie had decided to plead guilty.

Okezie said, “In view of the defendant’s wish to change his plea from not guilty to guilty on counts one and two, the commission would like to withdraw counts three and four.”

Justice Dipeolu agreed and ordered counts three and four to be withdrawn. He then asked the court registrar to read counts one and two to the defendant.

As the registrar was about to read the charges, he asked Okorie if he understood English. Okorie did not respond. Seconds later, he collapsed in the dock.

His wife and daughter, who were in the courtroom, started crying.

Mrs. Okorie knelt and cried out, calling on Jesus.

The EFCC had arraigned Okorie on four counts related to money laundering and importing counterfeit currency.

The EFCC prosecutor, Chineye Okezie, told the court that Okorie hid the $299,000, the counterfeit $250, and €100 inside relaxer containers. He then tried to take them through the Nigerian Customs Service at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.

Okezie said Okorie committed the offence on March 19, 2025.

She explained that he illegally brought five pieces of counterfeit $50 notes, totalling $250, into Nigeria. The fake notes had serial numbers MB67951730 D, MB93612802 A, MB67957416 D, MB67957308 D, and MB121997428 C.

According to her, Okorie knew the money was fake but still had it in his possession.

She said the offences violated Sections 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and Sections 3(1)(a), 5(1)(b), and (2) of the Counterfeit Currency (Special Provisions) Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

Source: https://punchng.com/businessman-arraigned-for-failing-to-declare-299000-collapses-in-court/

Mr Cover, Reporting This Hot News To You.

This life no balance, you hold fake money, you collapse, you no hold money, you go still collapse, Economy collapse, Naira collapse, Criminals collapse,Wata Bam Bam

Okorie....I am 100% he opens his akpu smelling mouth to abuse Tinubu.

Now Justice Dipeolu has shown him that he can carry his crimes to his zoo not Lagos Lagos no be Anambra

Hisroyalbadmeat:
This life no balance, you hold fake money, you collapse, you no hold money, you go still collapse, Economy collapse, Naira collapse, Criminals collapse,Wata Bam Bam

The Matter Tire MR BLOGGER

They should be checking some of them for psychiatric illness as well. Deliberately bringing in counterfeit money to defraud his fellow citizens. And why would you be hiding the 299k dollars if you made the money legally? Everything about him smells of crime

AdolfHitlerxXx:


Okorie....I am 100% he opens his akpu smelling mouth to abuse Tinubu.

Now Justice Dipeolu has shown him that he can carry his crimes to his zoo not Lagos Lagos no be Anambra

All lagosians are good people including you? All you're hatred for IBO is seriously alarming. There are bad people every where. A crime done by one IBO man will now be used to judge all IBO's. I wish IBO's will have sense in this country

if you are suffering from poverty, they can never investigate it in court

Hisroyalbadmeat:
This life no balance, you hold fake money, you collapse, you no hold money, you go still collapse, Economy collapse, Naira collapse, Criminals collapse,Wata Bam Bam

Crazy things a gwan Inna we countri!

123yes:
All lagosians are good people including you. All you're hatred for IBO is seriously alarming. There is bad people every where. A crime done by one IBO man will now be used to judge all IBO's. I wish IBO's will have sense in this country

Super story

Is the wife not aware that her husband is into shady deals? Most of these women are aware that their husbands are into fraudulent activities but the aura to drive Toyota Venza and Rav 4 is too irresistible for them. There are many of them like that along Ago palace way, Amuwo and Festac. Your husband is into shady deals but you will be happy to be balling and intimidating other women. He should face his time in jail. I hate fraudulent people, including corrupt politicians and their supporters

Hisroyalbadmeat:
This life no balance, you hold fake money, you collapse, you no hold money, you go still collapse, Economy collapse, Naira collapse, Criminals collapse,Wata Bam Bam

Sometime you question why you are Nigerian before anything

What kind of foolish man is this. So he doesn't know the gravity of the offence before committing it. These people need proper orientation cos many of them are not properly informed or are not educated as they often postulated. No wonder many of them are languishing in prison in far away countries.
They just want to make it at all cost not minding the aftermath effects of their actions.

Chai

D

NaijaGoBetter2:


Sometime you question why you are Nigerian before anything

you mean before you commit crime?

Zico5:
What kind of foolish man is this. So he doesn't know the gravity of the offence before committing it. These people need proper orientation cos many of them are not properly informed or are not educated as they often postulated. No wonder many of them are languishing in prison in far away countries.
They just want to make it at all cost not minding the aftermath effects of their actions.

you think they dont know

Their mind dey for back na why

MrCover:
Source: https://punchng.com/businessman-arraigned-for-failing-to-declare-299000-collapses-in-court/

Mr Okorie is playing drama in the court room. My Lord should not be deceived ohhh. He axted criminally by pushing and operating with counterfeit currency.

He must be sentenced, not minding his drama. Afterwards, he can go and collapse in the correctional centre.

MrCover:
Source: https://punchng.com/businessman-arraigned-for-failing-to-declare-299000-collapses-in-court/

Revive him, give him food n jail him...he'll rot in jail. Nonsense

Greed and stupidity! You have $299,000 of real dollars and you now decided to add $250 of fake dollars. Even if you discovered the fake $250 and after you bought real $299,000, you could have just destroyed the fake $250. Village people!

Politicians have taught Nigerians how to evade justice using the collapsing strategy

" As the registrar was about to read the charges, he asked Okorie if he understood English. Okorie did not respond. Seconds later, he collapsed in the dock.

His wife and daughter, who were in the courtroom, started crying.

Mrs. Okorie knelt and cried out, calling on Jesus.
"

It is scenes like these that gives atheist basis to doubt the existence of any supreme deity....shouldn't lightening bolt burst through that court room to scatter that woman's mouth for calling that name, I'm very sure she is aware of her husband's illegal economic sabotage over the years and also a beneficiary.

Thieves. That's the only thing they are good at

These efcc people are not serious.

So a man brings in 299,000 USD,

You counted the 299,000 USD and found out that 250 USD out of 299,000 USD is fake.

If a man want to bring in fake currency, will he bring in only 250 USD as fake out of a total of 299,000 USD?

They simply counted the money the man brought in and picked out 5 pieces as fake just to find something to charge the man with.

Bringing foreign currency into the country should not be criminalized, the penalty for such should be made clear, either a fine or forfeiture of the fund is adequate.

Just because a man did not declare his own money should not be reason to want to jail a man, it is not like the man is taking the money out of the country.

Fear is a killer

[quote author= post=134727655]The Matter Tire MR BLOGGER[/quote]This news is not.so bad but we can manage it sha!

Check out this iPhone 11, going for only 230k: https://www.nairaland.com/8299636/iphone-11-230-ibadan#133410180

NIGERIA COURT ARE THIEVES.

WHY JAIL A MAN FOR HIS OWN GENUINE MONEY.

HE DID NOT STEAL IT. HE DIDNT DO ANY CRIME.

HE WAS UNFORTUNATE THAT ONLY 250$ WAS FOUND TO BE FAKE OUT OF HIS 299K.


AND YOU WANT TO STEAL HIS MONEY JUST LIKE THAT.

I BLAME IGBO POLITICANS FOR ALL THESE RUBBISH. FOR NOT DEFENDING THEIR OWN BROTHERS.

I understand that the government is trying to fight money laundering but I see no reason why failing to declare foreign currency should be treated as a criminal offence.

I think it's much better to impose a fine instead of sending a man to jail because of his own money and further adding to our overcrowded prisons!