NDDC Asset Fraud: Appeal Court Upholds Former MD’s Aide George Turnah’s Jail Sentence

​The Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has dealt a final blow to the legal battle of George Turnah Alabh, a former Special Assistant to the erstwhile Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dan Abia. In a lead judgment delivered on Thursday, May 14, 2026, the appellate court officially upheld his conviction and multi-year prison sentence.

​Presiding Justice Peter C. Obiorah dismissed Alabh’s appeal in its entirety, affirming the 2022 ruling of the Federal High Court. The appellate court threw out Alabh’s arguments, establishing that he was properly and lawfully served with the criminal charge sheet. Furthermore, Justice Obiorah ruled that the criminal prosecution did not constitute an abuse of court processes, robustly dismissing the defense’s argument that a concurrent civil suit filed by Alabh should have stalled the criminal trial.

​The Hidden Multi-Million Naira Asset

​The crux of the appellate court’s affirmation rested on the prosecution’s airtight evidence regarding asset concealment. Justice Obiorah noted that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) conclusively proved that Alabh intentionally hid his corporate interests from anti-graft investigators.

​Specifically, Alabh failed, neglected, and refused to disclose that he was a foundational director and the majority shareholder of Ashford Consult and Events Nig. Limited. This deliberate omission occurred on the official Asset Declaration Form he filled out at the EFCC zonal office following his 2017 arrest for separate, massive financial crimes—including money laundering and obtaining billions of Naira under false pretences.

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​From N2.8 Billion Fraud to Asset Seizure: The Trial Timeline

​Alabh’s legal woes began in May 2017 when the EFCC cracked down on his financial dealings, leading to an initial 12-count arraignment that later expanded into a sweeping 23-count charge. Alongside 11 of his shell companies and associates, Alabh was accused of laundering N2.89 billion ($1 million of which was allegedly received in raw cash from private contractors) meant for the critical development of the youth and infrastructure in the Niger Delta region.

​As the broader multi-billion Naira corruption trial progressed, the EFCC launched a separate targeted prosecution at the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, presided over by Justice A.T. Mohammed, focusing strictly on Alabh’s fraudulent asset declarations.

• ​May 16, 2018: Alabh and his wife, Jennifer Timinipre Turnah, are formally arraigned on a 4-count amended charge bordering on asset concealment. Both pleaded “not guilty.”

• ​May 20, 2022: Following years of rigorous trial, Justice A.T. Mohammed delivered his judgment. While Alabh’s wife was discharged on technical grounds (lack of proper service of the amended charge sheet), the court found Alabh guilty on Counts 1 and 3. He was sentenced to two years imprisonment on each count.

• ​September 2023: Dissatisfied with the trial court’s verdict, Alabh, through his lead counsel, Dr. A.G.O. Agorondi, approached the Court of Appeal to overturn the jail term.

​A Clear Signal to Public Servants

​Count one of the charges explicitly cited that Alabh’s actions on March 15, 2017, at the EFCC’s South-South Zonal Office in Port Harcourt, violated Section 27 (1) & (3)(a) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Establishment Act 2004, an offense strictly punishable under Section 27 (3)(c) of the same Act.

​By affirming the consecutive two-year prison sentences, the Court of Appeal has reinforced a strict judicial precedent: public officers under investigation cannot use corporate fronts or concurrent civil litigations to shield their ill-gotten wealth from state scrutiny. Alabh will continue serving his statutory jail term.