The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, on Friday, May 23, 2025, arraigned three bank employees and four alleged accomplices before Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, over a multi-billion naira fraud case.
The bank staff, Samuel Ihechukwu Asiegbu, Fabian Chizaram Onyeimachi, and Kingsley Kelechi Ejim, who are employees of a first-generation bank, were arraigned alongside Hannah Okunlola Adesokan, Hamza Zakariya, Achionu Chukwuka Ubaku, and Sunday Osademe.
They are facing an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretence to the tune of N8.5 billion.
According to the EFCC, the accused persons allegedly manipulated data in bank accounts domiciled in Wema Bank Plc in January 2025, resulting in significant financial losses to the institution and unlawful economic gains to themselves.
One of the counts reads: “That you, SAMUEL IHECHUKWU ASIEGBU, EJIM KINGSLEY KELECHI, HAMZA ZAKARIA, ONYEIMACHI FABIAN, ACHIONU CHUKWUKA UBAKA, ADESOKAN HANNAH OKUNLOLA, Nurudeen Ibrahim (still at large), Alhaji Sulaiman (still at large), and others now at large, sometime in January 2025, conspired among yourselves to cause the loss of property from accounts domiciled in Wema Bank Nigeria Plc., thereby conferring unlawful economic benefits on yourselves, an offence contrary to Section 27(1)(a) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 and punishable under the same Act.”
Another count details how Samuel Ihechukwu Asiegbu and others allegedly tampered with electronic data within the bank’s system, leading to the unauthorised loss of N8,568,090,500.
All defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following their plea, prosecution counsel Aso Larrys Peters requested that the court set a trial date and remand the accused persons in a correctional facility.
However, counsel to defendant Hannah Okunlola pleaded that she be held in EFCC custody due to her medical condition.
In his ruling, Justice Osiagor adjourned the case until June 6, 2025 for trial.
He ordered that five of the defendants be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), while Kingsley Kelechi Ejim was allowed to continue on his existing bail.
Hannah Okunlola was granted remand in the custody of the EFCC due to health concerns.
