Justice R.I.B. Adeniyi of the Lagos State High Court, sitting in Ikeja, has sentenced renowned socialite and former Afromedia Plc executive, Alhaji Mohammed Gobir, to seven years imprisonment. The judgment was delivered on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, following his conviction on multiple charges including stealing, obtaining by false pretence, and possession of fraudulent documents.
Gobir was first arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on March 17, 2016, on a 17-count charge involving forgery, stealing, and fraudulent misrepresentation.
His arrest dates back to September 12, 2015, when EFCC operatives apprehended him at his residence in Ikoyi, Lagos. The arrest was prompted by a petition from Afromedia Plc, alleging that Gobir, who once served as the Chairman of the company’s Business Development Committee, had abused his position and diverted significant company funds under false pretences.
EFCC investigations revealed that Gobir was introduced to Afromedia in 2008 through Synergy Capital Advisory Limited, a firm acting as the company’s private placement consultant. He allegedly promised to invest ₦1 billion into the company, a commitment that earned him a seat on the board and the chairmanship of the Business Development Committee.
Once in office, Gobir reportedly manipulated his position to execute a series of fraudulent transactions. Funds misappropriated under the guise of business facilitation and international partnerships include:
$3.5 million, allegedly for securing foreign investor relations;
₦514,457,151.87, purportedly for overseas business negotiations;
$2,102,740, claimed again as facilitation fees; and
£51,000, supposedly for corporate expenses abroad.
In one particularly egregious case, Gobir deceived the company into believing that $250 million was frozen in a UK bank by British anti-money laundering authorities. He claimed the funds could be released if Afromedia helped him obtain a “Waiver Certificate,” which he falsely insisted was necessary for access.
One of the charges presented in court stated:
“That you, Mohammed Gobir, a Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Business Development Committee of Afromedia Plc, between January 2009 and December 2011 in Lagos, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of ₦514,457,151.87 (Five Hundred and Fourteen Million, Four Hundred and Fifty-Seven Thousand, One Hundred and Fifty-One Naira, Eighty-Seven Kobo) from Afromedia Plc by falsely claiming the amount was to facilitate the release of $70 million from your account at NATWEST Bank, London, United Kingdom—an alleged investment fund out of $250 million purportedly held there. This claim was false, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, No. 14, 2006.”
After nearly a decade of legal proceedings, Justice Adeniyi found Gobir guilty on all counts and sentenced him to seven years in prison.
