N1m Fraud: Court orders EFCC, bank to produce evidence

By Adebola Isimijola.

Justice Ismail Ijelu of the Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja, has adjourned the trial of a Fidelity Bank employee, Nweke Chukwuebuka, to enable the prosecution to produce documents and video evidence requested by the defence.

The judge directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Fidelity Bank to tender relevant system records and CCTV footage considered crucial to the case.

Nweke is standing trial on a one-count charge of alleged unauthorised access with intent to commit fraud, contrary to Section 386(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The EFCC had alleged that the defendant, on June 21, 2025, unlawfully accessed a computer system assigned to a colleague, thereby facilitating the withdrawal of N1 million from a customer’s account.

Opening his defence, Nweke denied the allegation, insisting he had no involvement in the transaction and was being wrongly implicated.

He told the court that the workstation linked to the incident was not exclusively used by one staff member, explaining that employees on night shift often shared available systems.

The defendant further stated that he experienced network issues on the day in question and was attempting to reconnect when he later received a complaint from the account holder over an unauthorised debit.

According to him, preliminary checks showed that although the customer had requested a change of phone number after losing her device, the bank’s system still reflected the old number, leaving the account vulnerable.

He added that he escalated the issue to his supervisor, leading to the blocking of the account and the prevention of another attempted withdrawal of N500,000.

Nweke also denied carrying out any fraudulent transaction, stating that he only assisted a colleague in logging out of a system and did not use it thereafter.

He alleged that during internal investigations, he was pressured to facilitate repayment of the disputed sum, and later subjected to similar pressure after the matter was reported to the EFCC.

The defendant claimed he was detained, his phone and passport seized, and statements obtained without access to legal representation or family members.

Defence counsel, Ejiofor, subsequently urged the court to compel the prosecution to produce desktop conversation records and CCTV footage of the defendant while in EFCC custody, arguing that the materials were essential to his client’s defence.

Justice Ijelu granted the request and adjourned the matter till May 14 for continuation of trial.