Justice Josephine Oyefeso of the Lagos State High Court in Ajah has sentenced Chukwudi Okonkwo Goodness to 74 years in prison for stealing and issuing dud cheques totaling N360 million.
Goodness was first arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on June 6, 2016. He faced a 33-count charge involving theft and the issuance of bounced cheques amounting to N360,000,000 — funds belonging to one Henry Nnadike.
According to one of the charges, Goodness fraudulently converted the money between June and July 2015 in Ikeja. The alleged offense violated Sections 278 and 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
Goodness pleaded not guilty, prompting a full trial. During proceedings, the prosecution, led by T.J. Banjo, presented four witnesses and multiple pieces of evidence.
In her judgment on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, Justice Oyefeso found Goodness guilty on 32 of the 33 counts. He was sentenced as follows:
- Seven years for count one (stealing),
- Two years each for counts three to thirty-two (issuance of dud cheques),
- Seven years for count thirty-three (additional charge, not specified),
- Acquitted on count two (possession of documents containing false pretenses).
All sentences will run concurrently, meaning Goodness will serve a maximum of seven years in total.
The court also ordered him to restitute N215 million to the victim within 30 days. Justice Oyefeso noted that the convict may be considered for a fine only after this restitution is made.
Goodness was convicted after the court found him guilty of fraudulently stealing N360 million from Nnadike and issuing several dud cheques in the process.
