Three employees of Wema Bank Plc have been accused of conniving with four other persons to tamper with accounts of customers in the bank to move about N8.5 billion.
They were last Friday brought before Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an eight-count charge bordering on alleged conspiracy and obtaining under false pretence to the tune of N8.5 billion.
The bankers arraigned by the agency were Mr Samuel Ihechukwu, Mr Fabian Chizaram, and Mr Kingsley Kelechi Ejim, while their alleged accomplices are Hanna Okunlola Adesokan, Hamza Zakariya, Achionu Chukwuka Ubaku, and Sunday Osademe.
According to the EFCC, the suspects altered, erased and inputted data held in accounts domicile in Wema Bank’s computer for the purpose stealing from the company.
One of the charges reads: “That you SAMUEL IHECHUKWU ASIEGBU, EJIM KINGSLEY KELECHI, HAMZA ZAKARIA, ONYEIMACHI FABIAN, ACHIONU CHUKWUKA UBAKA, ADESOKAN, HANNAH OKUNLOLA, Nurudeen Ibrahim (at large), Alhaji Sulaiman (at large) and other persons at large sometime in January 2025, conspired amongst yourselves to cause loss of property to bank accounts domiciled in Wema Bank Nigeria Plc. 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 and punishable under the same Act.”
Another count states: “That you SAMUEL IHECHUKWU ASIEGBU and other persons at large, sometime in January 2025, within the jurisdiction of this honorable court knowingly and without authority caused the loss of an aggregate sum of ₦8,568,090,500 (Eight Billion, Five Hundred and Sixty-eight Million, Ninety Thousand, Five Hundred Naira) property of Wema Bank Plc. by altering, erasing and inputting data held in accounts domiciled in Wema Bank Plc. 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.”
All seven defendants pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them.
Following the plea, prosecution counsel Aso Larrys Peters requested a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendants in the Nigeria Correctional Facility.
In response, the defence counsel asked the court to remand his client, Hanna Okunlola, in EFCC custody due to concerns over her health.
Justice Daniel Osiagor adjourned the case to June 6, 2025, for trial. He ordered that five of the defendants be remanded at the Nigerian Correctional Service facility, while Kingsley Kelechi Ejim was allowed to continue on his existing bail.
Hanna Okunlola was ordered to be remanded in EFCC custody due to her health condition.
