Court sends banker to prison for N2.4m cybercrime in Lagos

The Federal High Court sitting in the Ikoyi area of Lagos State has remanded a staff of Ecobank Plc, Solomon Ufayo, over alleged cybercrime to the tune of N2,404,000.

Ufayo was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a one-count charge bordering on alleged cybercrime.

The  count read: “That you, Solomon Stephen Ufayo, between the 10th to the 28th day of March, 2025, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while working for Ecobank Nigeria Limited as a Relief Teller, fraudulently represented yourself as Ogunfodunrin Omowunmi Ajoke, by posting false deposit and withdrawal tellers on her Ecobank account number 2801086259, with intent to gain advantage for yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22(2)(b)(i) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition and Prevention etc)Act, 2015 and punishable by Section 22(2)(b) of the same Act.”

The banker pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him.

Following his guilty plea, the prosecution counsel, Abdulhamid Tukur, called on an operative of the EFCC, David Ngale Gajere, to review the facts of the case.

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Gajere told the court that Ufayo, who is a relief teller with the bank, fraudulently represented himself as one Omowunmi Ajoke, a customer of the bank, by posting false deposits into her Ecobank account and moving the total sum of N2, 404,000, which he filled out in withdrawal deposit slips without her consent and paid the same into his own Opay account.

He further informed the court that the defendant provided an extra-judicial statement and also issued a bank draft for N2,404,000 as restitution to the petitioner.

Gajere identified the defendant’s extra- judicial statement, copies of the bank slips, the certified true copy of the bank draft for the restitution to the tune of N2,404,000.

The prosecution counsel then sought to tender, in evidence, the documents, which were admitted and marked as exhibits by the court.

The presiding judge, Justice Yellim Bogoro, on Friday, May 16, adjourned the case till June 6, 2025, for judgement and ordered the defendant to be remanded in the Ikoyi Correctional Centre.

The Star