The Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday, May 23, 2025, arraigned seven persons for defrauding Wema Bank Plc to the tune of N8.5billion.
The seven include three employees of a first-generation bank — Samuel Ihechukwu, Fabian Chizaram, and Kingsley Kelechi Ejim— and four other accomplices Hanna Okunlola Adesokan, Hamza Zakariya, Achionu Chukwuka Ubaku, and Sunday Osademe.
They were all arraigned before Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.
According to the charges, they were accused of an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence, involving a total sum of N8.5 billion (Eight Billion, Five Hundred Million Naira).
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 (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 domicile 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 reads: “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 N8,568,090,500 property of Wema Bank Plc. by altering, erasing and inputting data held in accounts domicile in Wema Bank Pic. 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 defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following their pleas, prosecution counsel, Aso Larrys Peters, requested a trial date and that the defendants be remanded in the Nigeria Correctional Facility.
In response, defence counsel prayed the court to remand his client, Hanna Okunlola, in EFCC custody due to health concerns.
Justice Osiagor adjourned the case to June 6, 2025, for trial.
He ordered that five of the defendants be remanded in the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCS), while Kingsley Kelechi Ejim was allowed to continue on his existing bail conditions while Hannah Okunlola was remanded in EFCC custody.