Michael Igbomins, David Onyeike, and Moses Iruolaja have been arraigned before Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe of the Special Offences Court for allegedly stealing N3.5 billion from Access Bank and retaining the proceeds of crime.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) brought a two-count charge against the trio, accusing them of stealing and retaining proceeds from criminal activity. The EFCC counsel, Mr. Abdulhamid Tukur, stated that the defendants committed the offenses in 2023 in Lagos, dishonestly converting N3,473,166,731 for their personal use, funds that belonged to the bank.
The EFCC also alleged that the defendants knowingly retained the stolen amount. The crime was facilitated by a bank employee who had worked as an IT representative for 16 years. This employee used an HP Elitebook laptop to give his co-conspirators remote access to the bank’s network, allowing them to carry out fraudulent transactions.
The charges violate Section 17 of the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004, and Section 280 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015. All three defendants pleaded not guilty.
Following their plea, Mr. Tukur requested a trial date and asked the court to remand the defendants to a correctional facility. The defendants’ counsel, Mr. M. S. Amosun and Mr. I. O. Lala indicated that they would file the necessary applications before the next court date.
Oreoluwa is an accountant and a brand writer with a flair for journalism.
