Abuja Court Jails N700m NLNG Cooperative Fraudster for Seven Years

An Abuja High Court has sentenced Jonathan Wallang, Managing Director of Swift and Hay Limited, to seven years in prison for defrauding the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Staff Bonny Cooperative Investment and Credit Society Limited of N700 million. The case, prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), concluded after a decade-long trial before Justice Hamza Muazu at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Maitama.

The EFCC arraigned Wallang on a seven-count charge, including conspiracy, forgery, and obtaining money by false pretence. The charges detailed how, in 2011, Wallang, through Dinijocs Nigeria Limited, fraudulently obtained N520 million and N130 million from the NLNG Cooperative, promising to sell them a plot in Idu-Sabo District, Abuja, which he had no authority to sell. The land, cited as Plot No.1, Idu-Sabo District, Cadastral Zone D04, was never lawfully available for transfer to the cooperative.

After Wallang pleaded not guilty, the matter went to full trial, during which two other defendants, Julius Ola Peter and Ijeoma David Alanza, died, and Emeka Iloegbunam was discharged and acquitted. Wallang, however, was found guilty on multiple counts:

• For conspiracy and forgery (counts 1, 2, and 3), he received two years’ imprisonment each, with an option to pay a N200,000 fine per count.
• For obtaining by false pretence (counts 6 and 7), he was sentenced to seven years in prison, without an option of fine.
• Justice Muazu also ordered Wallang to restitute N580 million to the NLNG Cooperative.

Wallang’s prosecution began after a 2015 petition by NLNG Cooperative Society, which reported that he and the other accused persons colluded to defraud the cooperative under the pretext of acquiring land in Abuja. The EFCC investigation revealed that the funds transferred to Wallang’s firm drastically exceeded the actual value of the property in question and that he lacked legal entitlement to make the sale.

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The judgment reaffirms the EFCC’s resolve to combat corruption and fraud, especially those involving large-scale corporate and cooperative finances. The case also highlights the protracted nature of fraud litigation in Nigeria, with this particular matter stretching over ten years before conviction.

Wallang is now serving his term at Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja, as ordered by the court.