Months after NATIONAL WAVES reported how two ex-staff of Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc), Sani Endurance Aferokhe and Hillary Odo, were jailed by a High Court in Enugu for criminally diverting over ₦10.3 million belonging to bank customers, another ex-staff, Chinonso Akujobi, is alleged to have stolen N294.5million belonging to the bank.
Based on this, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) arraigned her before the Lagos State High Court.
Akujobi was arraigned on Thursday by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the anti-graft agency before Justice I.O. Ijelu on a five-count charge bordering on stealing and alleged unauthorised diversion of bank funds.
According to the EFCC, the defendant allegedly stole a total
of N294,595,992 through unauthorised transfers while working at the bank in
2025.
One of the charges alleged that between January and December
2025, Akujobi, while in the employment of Access Bank Plc, dishonestly converted
bank funds to personal accounts through unauthorised payments from the bank’s
general ledger.
The charge stated that the defendant allegedly transferred
N109,325,566.86 into Access Bank account number 0036668871 and other accounts
bearing the names “Chinonso A.,” “Uchechi A.” and “Florence A.”
The prosecution said the alleged actions contravened Section
280 and are punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State,
2015.
When the charges were read in court, Akujobi pleaded not
guilty to all five counts.
Following the plea, prosecution counsel, S.M. Yabo, urged the
court to fix a date for trial and requested that the defendant be remanded in a
correctional facility pending the determination of the case.
Justice Ijelu subsequently adjourned the matter until October
8, 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 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 (One Hundred and Nine Million Three Hundred and Twenty-five
Thousand Five Hundred and Sixty-six Naira Eighty-six Kobo), thereby committed
an offence stealing, contrary to Section 280 and punishable under Section 287
of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.”
0 Comments