From Bankers To Bandits? EFCC Probes Wema Officials Over N8.5B Theft

The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Friday, May 23, 2025, arraigned three employees of Wema bank, a first-generation bank—Samuel Ihechukwu Asiegbu, Fabian Chizaram Onyeimachi, and Kingsley Kelechi Ejim—before Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.

They were arraigned alongside four alleged accomplices: Hanna Okunlola Adesokan, Hamza Zakariya, Achionu Chukwuka Ubaku, and Sunday Osademe. The defendants face an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretence to the tune of N8.5 billion.

One of the counts reads:
“That you, SAMUEL IHECHUKWU ASIEGBU, EJIM KINGSLEY KELECHI, HAMZA ZAKARIA, ONYEIMACHI FABIAN, ACHIONU CHUKWUKA UBAKA, ADESOKAN HANNAH OKUNLOLA, NURUDEEN IBRAHIM (at large), ALHAJI SULAIMAN (at large) and others now at large, sometime in January 2025, conspired amongst yourselves to cause loss of property to accounts domiciled in Wema Bank Nigeria Plc. in order to confer economic benefits on yourselves, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 27(1)(a) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 and punishable under the same Act.”

Another count states:
“That you, SAMUEL IHECHUKWU ASIEGBU and others now at large, sometime in January 2025, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, knowingly and without authority caused the loss of an aggregate sum of N8,568,090,500 (Eight Billion, Five Hundred and Sixty-Eight Million, Ninety Thousand, Five Hundred Naira), property of Wema Bank Plc., by altering, erasing, and inputting data held in accounts domiciled in Wema Bank Plc. computer system for the purpose of conferring economic benefits on yourselves, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 14(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 and punishable under the same Act.”

All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Following their pleas, prosecuting counsel Aso Larrys Peters requested a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendants in the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) custody.

In response, the defence counsel for Hanna Okunlola pleaded that she be remanded in EFCC custody on medical grounds.

Justice Osiagor granted the prosecution’s request and adjourned the matter to June 6, 2025, for trial. He ordered that five of the defendants be remanded at the Nigerian Correctional Facility, while Kingsley Kelechi Ejim was allowed to continue on his existing bail.

Hanna Okunlola was remanded in EFCC custody as requested.