Tunde Bakare
Justice C.J. Aneke of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi , Lagos, on Thursday, May 22, 2025, ordered the winding up of a fraudulent collective investment scheme firm, CJC Markets Limited, over failure to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC.
He gave the order, following the arraignment of the company by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a one-count charge bordering on investment fraud on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
A petitioner alleged that CJC Markets Limited, sometime in January, collected the sum of N30m( Thirty Million Naira) from one Wamyil Mangna, with a promise of a 30% Return on Investment, ROI.
Investigation revealed that CJC Markets Limited is not registered with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, or the Security and Exchange Commission, SEC, to carry out capital market operations or collect investments.
The count reads: That you, CJC MARKETS LIMITED, being a company incorporated in Nigeria, Aihua Chen (at large) and Okungbeni Dickson (at large), being the Directors respectively, sometime in 2021 in Nigeria, within the Judicial Division of this Honourable court, while carrying on your scheme of Collective Investment, failed to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 54(1) of the Investment and Securities Act 2007 and punishable under Section 54(6) of the same Act.”
A guilty plea was entered for the Company.
In view of this, prosecution counsel, Abdulhamid .L. Tukur, called on Christian Chukwu, an operative of the EFCC, to review the facts of the case.
Chukwu, in his testimony, told the court that the Commission received a petition from Matthew Burkaa and Co. Legal Practitioners on behalf of the petitioner, Mangna
He also told the court that the Commission, during investigations, subsequently wrote letters to the United Bank of Africa, UBA, the CBN and SEC, and that they all responded.
He added that the finance officer of the company, Mr Kolawole Josiah, volunteered his statement , regarding the involvement of the company in the capital market.
Thereafter, he identified the petition received, the letters written by the Commission to the SEC, CBN and UBA as well as the statement from the Finance Officer of the company .
Tukur then sought to tender, in evidence, the documents, which were all admitted and marked as exhibits by the court . The prosecution, thereafter, prayed the court to convict and sentence the company accordingly.
Counsel to the defendant, Adeniyi Komolafe, asked the court to wind up the said company.
Justice Aneke convicted CJC Markets Limited as charged and ordered that it be wound up and delisted from the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC.
The company was wound up for running a fraudulent collective investment scheme firm, CJC Markets Limited, without registering with the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC.