By Olaitan Ibrahim
Three employees of an old generation bank and four others have been arraigned before Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos over an alleged N8.5 billion.
The bank employees arraigned are Samuel Asiegbu, Fabian Onyeimachi, and Kingsley Kejim Their alleged accomplices are Hannah Okunlola Adesokan, Hamza Zakariya, Achionu Ubaku, and Sunday Osademe .
They were slammed with an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretences.
A statement on Monday by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale said they all conspired to manipulate and alter data belonging to the bank on January 2025. The statement said they caused a financial loss to the tune of N8,568,090,500.
According to the EFCC, they committed an offence contrary to Section 27(1)(a) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 and punishable under the same Act.
EFCC said that one of the counts against them read: “That you, Samuel IhechukwuAsiegbu, Ejim Kingsley Kelechi and other persons at large, sometime in January 2025, conspired amongst yourselves to cause loss of property to bank accounts domiciled… in order to confer economic benefit to yourselves, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27(1)(a) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.”
Another count read: “That you Samuel IhechukwuAsiegbu and other persons at large, sometime in January 2025, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court knowingly and without authority caused the loss of an aggregate sum of N8,568,090,500 property of — by altering, erasing and inputting data held in accounts domiciled … computer for the purpose of conferring economic benefit on yourself and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 and punishable under the same Act.”
But they all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The statement said, the EFCC through its counsel Aso Peters requested a trial date and asked that the defendants be remanded in the Nigerian Correctional Facility.
But the counsel for for Hannah Okunlola, pleaded that she be remanded in EFCC custody because of her her health condition.
Adding, the statement said,“Justice Osiagor adjourned the matter to June 6, 2025, for trial and remanded five of the defendants in the facility of the Nigerian Correctional Services, while Kingsley Ejim Kelechi was to continue on his existing bail. However, Hannah Okunlola was remanded in EFCC custody.”
Justice Osiagor adjourned the case till June 6, 2025, for trial.