EFCC CHARGES BANK EMPLOYEES, OTHERS TO COURT OVER ALLEGED N8.5 BILLION FRAUD IN LAGOS
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By: Motunrayo Aniwura
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Command, on Friday, May 23, 2025, brought three employees of a first-generation bank — Samuel Ihechukwu Asiegbu, Fabian Chizaram Onyeimachi, and Kingsley Kelechi Ejim — before Justice Daniel Osiagor at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos.
They were arraigned along with four other persons: Hannah Okunlola Adesokan, Hamza Zakariya, Achionu Chukwuka Ubaku, and Sunday Osademe.
The defendants are facing an eight-count charge related to conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretenses, totaling N8.5 billion.
One of the charges read: “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 others now at large, sometime in January 2025, conspired to cause the loss of funds from bank accounts domiciled in Wema Bank Nigeria Plc, with intent to unlawfully benefit financially, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 27(1)(a) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, and punishable under the same Act.”
All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges when read in court.
Following their plea, prosecuting counsel Aso Larrys Peters requested the court to set a trial date and to remand the defendants at the Nigerian Correctional Centre.
However, Hannah Okunlola’s lawyer requested that she be kept in EFCC custody due to health-related issues.
Justice Osiagor adjourned the case to June 6, 2025, for the start of the trial.
He ordered that five of the defendants be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service, while Kingsley Kelechi Ejim was permitted to remain on his current bail conditions.
Hannah Okunlola was directed to stay in EFCC custody until the trial begins.
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