Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a former staff of Access Bank Plc, Chinonso Akujobi, before the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja over the alleged theft of N294,595,992 belonging to the bank. Akujobi was brought before Justice I.O. Ijelu on Thursday, 9 July 2026, on a five-count charge bordering on stealing and the unauthorised diversion of bank funds. The defendant pleaded not guilty to all five counts when the charges were read to her.
According to the EFCC, the alleged offences were committed between January and December 2025 while Akujobi was still in the employment of Access Bank. The anti-graft agency alleged that the defendant dishonestly converted funds belonging to the bank to personal use through unauthorised payments from the bank’s general ledger. One of the charges stated that Akujobi fraudulently transferred N109,325,566.86 from the bank’s general ledger into an Access Bank account linked to the names “Chinonso A.,” “Uchechi A.,” and “Florence A.” The count read: “That you, Chinonso Akujobi, sometime between January and December, 2025, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with a dishonest intent, and while under the employment of Access Bank Plc, stole and converted for your own use, by unauthorized payments from the general ledger of the bank to your Access Bank account number 0036668871 with the name Chinonso A., Uchechi A. and Florence A, the sum of N109,325,566.86, thereby committed an offence of stealing, contrary to Section 280 and punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.”
Following her not-guilty plea, the prosecution counsel, S.M. Yabo, urged the court to fix a date for trial and to remand the defendant in a correctional facility pending the determination of the case. Justice Ijelu subsequently adjourned the matter until 8 October 2026 for the hearing of the defendant’s bail application and the commencement of trial. The court also ordered that Akujobi be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending further proceedings.
The arraignment follows the dismissal of Akujobi from Access Bank over the alleged fraud. The case is one of several high-profile prosecutions being pursued by the EFCC as part of its ongoing crackdown on financial crimes in the banking sector. The commission has intensified its efforts to hold individuals accountable for the misappropriation of depositors' funds and other financial malfeasance. The outcome of the case could have significant implications for corporate governance and accountability in Nigeria's financial services industry, sending a clear signal that bank staff who abuse their positions of trust will face the full weight of the law.
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