A federal high court in Lagos has fixed February 14 to arraign Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu, former manager to gospel singer Mercy Chinwo.
Onyedikachukwu, who is the founder of the record label EeZee Conceptz, is set to face charges over the alleged financial exploitation of the singer.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had earlier filed an ex parte motion following a petition from Chinwo against the manager.
The agency said the singer accused her ex-manager of receiving royalties from her digital platforms and events without disclosing the transactions.
According to the EFCC, Chinwo claimed that Onyedikachukwu diverted approximately $345,000 without remitting her share.
Bilikisu Buhari, representing the EFCC in court, argued that an arrest warrant was necessary to ensure Onyedikachukwu’s appearance in court to address alleged criminal charges.
Last week, Alexander Owoeye, the judge, issued a warrant for the arrest of the record label boss.
However, during a hearing on Friday, Buhari applied to withdraw the arrest warrant.
This was after Onyedikachukwu’s legal representative claimed the manager was unaware of the summons and requested more time to prepare.
The defense assured the court that Onyedikachukwu would voluntarily appear for the next hearing, prompting the withdrawal of the arrest warrant.
The record label boss had earlier denied allegations of financial misconduct.
Onyedikachukwu alleged that Chinwo had received $625,000 from him but was publicly portraying herself as a victim of a bad contract.
Chinwo is not the only former artiste to have a contractual dispute with Onyedikachukwu.
Recently, Judikay accused the label boss of theft. She claimed he defrauded her of £800,000 by falsifying financial records and altering streaming data.