The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has taken three bank staff and four others to court over a fraud case involving N8.5 billion.
The suspects — Samuel Asiegbu, Fabian Onyeimachi, and Kingsley Kejim — are staff of Wema Bank. They were arraigned with four others: Hannah Okunlola Adesokan, Hamza Zakariya, Achionu Ubaku, and Sunday Osademe.
They appeared before Justice Daniel Osiagor at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Monday. They face an eight-count charge related to conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretence.
In a statement by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, it was revealed that the suspects illegally altered data in Wema Bank’s computer system in January 2025.
“They caused a loss of N8,568,090,500 to the bank by tampering with account records,” Oyewale said.
One of the charges read in court stated:
“That you, Samuel Ihechukwu Asiegbu, Ejim Kingsley Kelechi, and others, in January 2025, conspired to cause financial loss to Wema Bank accounts and gain economic benefit for yourselves. This act goes against Section 27(1)(a) of the Cybercrimes Act of 2015.”
Another charge explained how the suspects knowingly altered and erased data in the bank’s computer system, which is also a crime under the Cybercrimes Act.
All the accused pleaded not guilty in court.
After their plea, EFCC lawyer, Aso Peters, asked the court to fix a date for trial and for the suspects to be remanded in a correctional facility.
However, the lawyer for Hannah Okunlola requested that she be kept in EFCC custody instead because of her health condition.
Justice Osiagor granted the request and adjourned the case to June 6, 2025, for trial.
The judge ordered that five of the suspects be taken to the Nigerian Correctional Services facility. Kingsley Ejim Kelechi will remain on bail, while Hannah Okunlola will stay in EFCC custody until the next hearing.
