The Edo State High Court in Benin has acquitted Nuhu Omokide, head of DHL in Benin City, in a case over a missing UK-bound parcel. Justice E. G. Adekanmbi ruled that the lower court's conviction of Omokide was not supported by law or evidence. The appeal, marked B/10CA/2025, challenged the July 22 conviction by Chief Magistrate Grade II Afe Osamudiamen on five counts including conspiracy to steal and unlawful interference with customer property.
The High Court found that the complainant's petition was against DHL as a corporate entity, not Omokide personally. Justice Adekanmbi stated there was no proof of criminal acts by Omokide and no law making company staff liable for corporate failures unless acting under a corporate veil. Records showed Omokide provided DHL's tracking data confirming the parcel left the Benin office.
The judge noted the prosecution failed to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt, emphasizing the burden of proof lies with the state, not the defendant. The court set aside the conviction, discharged and acquitted Omokide, and ordered the refund of a N250,000 fine he had paid. The lower court had erred in concluding Omokide appropriated the documents, which included school certificates and professional papers, because he could not explain their disappearance.
The court cleared Omokide while confirming the parcel went missing under DHL's watch, yet no one is held accountable for the loss. The receiver in the UK remains without her documents, and Omokide, though exonerated, had already paid a fine. The system punished an individual first, then reversed course, leaving trust in logistics services weakened. Nigerians who rely on courier firms for critical deliveries bear the real cost of such legal whiplash.
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