Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Monday, convicted and sentenced a staff member of Ecobank Nigeria Plc, Solomon Stephen Ufayo, to one year imprisonment for cybercrime involving N2,404,000.
The Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), had arraigned Ufayo on May 16, 2025, on a one-count charge of cybercrime, in violation of Section 22(2)(b)(i) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015.
The charge read: “That you, Solomon Stephen Ufayo, between the 10th to the 28th day of March, 2025, in Lagos, while working for Ecobank Nigeria Limited as a Relief Teller, fraudulently represented yourself as Ogunfodunrin Omowunmi Ajoke, by posting false deposit and withdrawal tellers on her Ecobank account number 2801086259, with intent to gain advantage for yourself, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 22(2)(b)(i) of the CYBERCRIME (PROHIBITION, PREVENTION etc) Act, 2015 and punishable by Section 22(2)(b) of the same Act.”
Ufayo pleaded guilty to the charge.
Following his plea, the prosecuting counsel, Abdulhamid L. Tukur, called EFCC operative David Ngale Gajere to present the facts of the case.
Gajere told the court that Ufayo, while serving as a Relief Teller at Ecobank, impersonated Miss Omowunmi Ajoke, a customer of the bank, by falsifying deposits into her account.
He subsequently filled out fraudulent withdrawal slips totaling N2.4 million and transferred the funds into his personal Opay account.
According to Gajere, the convict had provided a confessional statement during investigation and also refunded the stolen amount by issuing a bank draft of N2,404,000 to the EFCC as restitution.
During Monday’s sentencing, Ufayo pleaded for leniency, citing financial hardship and the recent birth of his child saying, “I was still in custody when my wife delivered the baby. I have learnt my mistakes now.”
Justice Bogoro sentenced Ufayo to one year imprisonment, with an option of N500,000 fine. In addition, the court ordered him to serve a two-week community service.
The EFCC reiterated its commitment to fighting cybercrime and financial fraud, especially within the banking sector.
