EFCC Arraigns Musician Felix Duke Over Alleged N21.25m Fraud
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned Nigerian musician Felix Duke Osagie, popularly known as Felix Duke, over an alleged N21.25 million fraud before the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja.
The musician was arraigned on Thursday, November 12, 2026, by the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 before Justice Ismail O. Ijelu on a four-count charge bordering on stealing, obtaining money by false pretence, retention of proceeds of crime and giving false information.
One of the charges alleged that Duke, sometime in 2020, dishonestly converted N21.25 million belonging to one Joseph Onuh Oguche for his personal use.
The charge reads: “That you, FELIX DUKE OSAGIE, sometime in 2020, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with a dishonest intent, stole and converted for your own use the sum of N21,250,000 (Twenty One Million, Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira), property of one Mr. Joseph Onuh Oguche, thereby committing an offence of stealing contrary to Section 280 and punishable under Section 287 of Criminal Laws of Lagos 2015.”
Another count accused the musician of giving false information to EFCC investigators on April 2, 2026, regarding a parcel of land in Ise, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, which he allegedly claimed he had the authority to sell.
The charge stated that the information was allegedly provided to mislead investigators, contrary to Section 39 of the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004.
Duke pleaded not guilty to all the charges when they were read to him.
Following his plea, prosecution counsel, Abdulhamid Lamido Tukur, requested a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendant in a correctional facility.
However, defence counsel, Sunday Afolabi, informed the court of a pending bail application dated November 4 and filed on November 5, 2026.
He said the application was supported by an 18-paragraph affidavit deposed to by the defendant’s wife and urged the court to grant his client bail on liberal terms or on self-recognisance.
Responding to the application, Tukur told the court that the prosecution had filed a 14-paragraph counter-affidavit dated November 10, 2026, urging the judge to reject the defendant’s bail request.
He told the court that Duke had allegedly jumped the EFCC’s administrative bail since July 2026 and was still pursuing a fundamental rights enforcement suit in another court through his lawyer.
Tukur said: “We filed a 14-paragraph counter-affidavit, urging the court to reject the bail application.
“The defendant had jumped EFCC’s administrative bail since July.
“Also, the defendant has been carrying on with his fundamental rights enforcement suit in another court through his legal counsel.”
The prosecution also disclosed its intention to call four witnesses during the trial.
Justice Ijelu, however, granted Duke bail in the sum of N10 million, with two sureties in like sum. One of the sureties must be a blood relative of the defendant.
The judge further directed that both sureties must reside in Lagos, have paid taxes to the state government within the last three years and provide evidence of verifiable sources of income.
The court also ordered Duke to surrender his international passport to the registrar and barred him from travelling outside Nigeria pending the conclusion of the case.
Despite granting bail, Justice Ijelu ordered that the musician be remanded in a correctional facility pending the fulfilment of his bail conditions.
The case was adjourned until December 16, 2026, for the commencement of trial.
