Three staff members of Wema Bank Nigeria Plc and four other individuals have been remanded in Kirikiri Maximum Correctional Centre over their alleged involvement in the theft of N8.57 billion from the bank.
Their remand followed their arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja.
The suspects face a four-count amended charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing, unauthorized access to a computer system, and impersonation.
The seven defendants are: Samuel Ihechukwu Asiegbu, Ejim Kingsley Kelechi, Hamzat Zakariya, Onyeimachi Fabian, Achonu Chukwuka Ubaka, Sunday Osademe, and Nurudeen Ibrahim.
The EFCC, represented by counsel M.K. Bashir, informed the court that the amended charges were dated June 17 and filed on June 19, 2025.
The defendants, who were represented by various legal counsels, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them in court.
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According to the EFCC, the defendants alongside one Alhaji Sulaiman and other unidentified individuals still at large allegedly conspired in January 2025 to illegally access Wema Bank’s computer systems and steal a total sum of N8,568,090,500.
In one of the charges, the prosecution stated that the defendants “unauthorisedly accessed the bank’s computer servers” with the intent to facilitate the theft.
Another count accused them of impersonation and acting without authority to commit further offences in violation of Section 386 of the Lagos State Criminal Law, 2011.
All seven defendants denied the charges.
Justice Oshodi subsequently ordered their remand and adjourned the case until September 15, 2025, for the commencement of trial.
