Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has arraigned a staff of EcoBank PLC, Solomon Stephen Ufayo for cybercrime after the suspect made deposit into one of the bank customers’ account and later withdrew same without the consent of the account holder.

The suspect was arraigned before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State last Friday with one count charge of alleged cybercrime of impersonating the account holder, Ogunfodunrin Omowunmi Ajoke in violation of 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 suspect pleaded guilty to the one count charge and was subsequently remanded to  Ikoyi Prison or Correctional centre by the trial Judge.

Details are presented verbatim below as reported by the Public Relations Unit of EFCC including the report of Justice Mohammed Maina of the Borno State High Court, sitting in Maiduguri, convicting and sentencing a Chief Executive Officer, CEO of a company, Alhaji Bashir Tanko to twenty one years imprisonment for misappropriation of money paid into the company’s account by a petitioner who sought the CEO’s consent and used the convict company’s  account to receive the money he was paid for an execution of contract.

EFCC Arraigns Banker for Alleged ₦2.4 million Cybercrime in Lagos

The Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Okotie-Eboh, on Friday, May 16, 2025, arraigned one Solomon Stephen Ufayo, a staff of Ecobank Plc, on a one-count charge bordering on alleged cybercrime to the tune of ₦2,404,000, (Two Million Four Hundred and Four Thousand Naira) before Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.

The count reads: “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 defendant pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him.

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

Gajere told the court that Ufayo, who is a Relief Teller with the Bank, fraudulently represented himself as one Miss Omowunmi Ajoke, a customer of the Bank, by posting false deposits into her Ecobank account and moving the total sum of ₦2, 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 ₦2,404,000 as restitution to the petitioner.

He 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 ₦2,404,000.

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

The judge adjourned the case till June 6, 2025 for judgment and ordered the defendant to be remanded in the Ikoyi Correctional Centre.

Court Jails Company CEO for ₦33.5 Million Fraud in Maiduguri …Another Arraigned for Alleged ₦5.6 Million Fraud

Justices Mohammed Maina of the Borno State High Court, sitting in Maiduguri, has convicted and sentenced one Alhaji Bashir Tanko to twenty one years imprisonment.

Tanko was re-arraigned on November 18, 2024 by the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a one count amended charge bordering on criminal misappropriation to the tune of ₦33.5 million, (Thirty Three Million and Five Hundred Thousand Naira).

The charge reads: “That you, Bashir Tanko Tahir whilst being the Chief Executive Officer and Alter Ego of Sahel Building and Engineering Company Limited, a company registered in Nigeria and Sahel Building and Engineering Company Limited and Musa Umaru (now at large), sometimes in 2019 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did dishonestly misappropriated the entire sum of ₦33,500,000.00, (Thirty Three Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira), out of ₦38,500,000.00, (Thirty Eight Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira) being paid to your Company account domiciled with Access Bank with account number; 0024320657 bearing Sahel Building Engineering Limited, by a Non-Governmental Organisation, ACTED, being the money belonging to one Annur Adam and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 308 of the Penal Code Cap 102 Laws of Borno State of Nigeria and punishable under section 309 of the same Law.”

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to him and counsel for the prosecution, Mukhtar Ali Ahmed, S.O Saka, Faruk Muhammad and Abdulmalik D. Aliyu presented six witnesses and tendered several documents as exhibits in the course of the trial.

Justice Maina convicted and sentenced Tahir to one year imprisonment with an option of ₦200,000 fine.

The judge further ordered the convict to restitute the petitioner the sum of ₦33,500,000.00, (Thirty Three Million, Five Hundred Thousand), or in default to serve twenty years imprisonment.

The convict’s road to the Correctional Centre began when he dishonestly diverted monies sent to his company account after the execution of a contract awarded to the petitioner who used the convict’s company.

In a related development, the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the EFCC, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 arraigned one Ibrahim Aisami before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri.

The defendant was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence to the tune of ₦5, 600,000.00, (Five Million Six Hundred Thousand Naira).

The charge reads: “That you, Ibrahim Aisami with National Identification Number 12587398155, sometimes in 2024 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did obtain the gross sum of ₦5,600,000.00, (Five Million, Six Hundred Thousand Naira) belonging to Kellu Mohammed which money was transferred from Modu Mohammed account number; 2085061819 domiciled with Zenith Bank Plc into your account; 2081085253 Ibrahim Aisami domiciled with Zenith Bank purportedly as money for the purchase of land situated at Jere Local Government with allocation number BO/89983/17 which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1 (1) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.”

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to him. Thereafter, prosecution counsel, Aliyu D. Abdulmalik prayed for a trial date and to remand the defendant in a Correctional Centre.

Justice Kumaliya thereafter adjourned till May 26, 2025 for hearing of bail and remand the defendant in Maiduguri Correctional Centre.

His journey to the correctional facility started when he received the sum of ₦5.6 million for the purchase of a plot of land situated at Jere Local Government Area which he did not buy.