THREE BANK STAFF, FOUR OTHERS REMANDED OVER ALLEGED N8.5 BILLION THEFT
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
A Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja on Monday ordered the remand of three staff of Wema Bank Nigeria PLC and four others at the Kirikiri Maximum Correctional Centre over the alleged theft of N8,568,090,500 from the bank.
The suspects Samuel Ihechuckwu Asiegbu, Ejim Kingsley Kelechi, Hamzat Zakariya, Onyeimachi Fabian, Achonu Chukwuka Ubaka, Sunday Osademe, and Nurudeen Ibrahim, were arraigned before Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
They were docked on a four-count amended charge bordering on conspiracy to steal, unauthorised access to a computer system, and impersonation. All defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
EFCC counsel, M.K. Bashir, informed the court of the amended charge dated June 17 and filed on June 19, 2025. Various defence lawyers represented the seven accused during the proceedings.
According to the EFCC, the defendants along with one Alhaji Sulaiman and other accomplices still at large, allegedly conspired in January 2025 to gain unauthorised access to Wema Bank’s computer systems to facilitate the theft of over N8.5 billion.
The charge sheet detailed that the defendants accessed and manipulated the bank’s systems without authorisation, stole funds, and impersonated other persons in the course of executing the alleged crime. The offences are said to violate Sections 285, 386, and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
Following their pleas, Justice Oshodi ordered their remand at Kirikiri Correctional Centre and adjourned the matter to September 15, 2025, for commencement of trial.
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