The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a former employee of Access Bank Plc over the alleged diversion of ₦294.6 million belonging to the financial institution.
The defendant, Chinonso Akujobi, was brought before Justice I.O. Ijelu of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the anti-graft agency on a five-count charge bordering on alleged theft and unlawful conversion of bank funds.
According to the EFCC, the alleged offences were committed between January and December 2025 while the defendant was employed by Access Bank.
The Commission alleged that the former banker carried out a series of unauthorised transactions through the bank’s general ledger, transferring funds into accounts allegedly linked to the defendant without the bank’s approval.
In one of the charges, the EFCC claimed that more than ₦109.3 million was unlawfully transferred from the bank’s accounts into accounts bearing the names Chinonso A., Uchechi A. and Florence A., bringing the total amount involved in the case to ₦294,595,992.
The anti-corruption agency argued that the alleged actions contravene the provisions of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, and are punishable under the relevant sections governing the offence of stealing.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to all five counts when the charges were read in open court.
Following the plea, prosecution counsel S. M. Yabo requested that the court fix a date for trial and asked that the defendant be remanded in a correctional facility pending the determination of the case.
Justice Ijelu subsequently adjourned proceedings to October 8, 2026, for the hearing of the defendant’s bail application and the commencement of trial.
The court also ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending further proceedings.
The case forms part of the EFCC’s ongoing efforts to investigate and prosecute alleged financial crimes within Nigeria’s banking sector as regulators and law enforcement agencies continue to intensify measures aimed at safeguarding public confidence in the country’s financial system.
