The Convicted Ecobank Staff
A staff of Eco Bank Plc, Solomon Stephen Ufayo, has been convicted and sentenced to one-year imprisonment for cybercrime, by a Federal High Court, Lagos.
The convicted banker was given the jail-term by Justice Yellim Bogoro, last Friday, after pleading guilty to a one -count charge bordering on cybercrime to the tune of N2, 404 million.
The convict was arraigned before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC).
In the charge, the EFCC told the court that the convicted banker, while working for Ecobank Nigeria Limited as a Relief Teller, fraudulently represented yourself as Ogunfodunrin Omowunmi Ajoke, by posting false deposit and withdrawal tellers on her Ecobank account number 2801086259.
The prosecutor, Abdulhamid L. Tukur, had told the court that the convict’s action was contrary to Section 22(2)(b)(i) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc)Act, 2015 and punishable by Section 22(2)(b) of the same Act.
Following the convict’s not guilty plea to the charge, the prosecutor called one David Ngale Gajere, an investigator with the EFCC, who reviewed the facts of the case.
In review the facts of the charge, Gajere, told the court that Ufayo, who is a Relief Teller with Eco Bank, fraudulently represented himself as one Miss. Omowunmi Ajoke, a customer of the Bank, by posting false deposits into her Ecobank account and moving the total sum of N2, 404,000, which he filled out in withdrawal deposit slips without her consent and paid the same into his own Opay account.
He had further told the court that the convict provided an extra-judicial statement and also issued a bank draft for N2, 404, 000 million as restitution to the petitioner.
However, upon reviewed the facts of the charge, the convict prayed the court for leniency, stating that he was tempted to perpetrate the fraud because his wife was pregnant and that he needed money.
“I was still in custody when my wife delivered the baby. I have learnt my mistakes now”, he further pleaded with the court.
Justice Bogoro in her judgment sentenced the convicted banker to one year imprisonment, with an option of fine in the sum of N500,00.
The judge also ordered the convict to perform a two-week community service, in addition to the fine option.
The charge against him reads: “that you, Solomon Stephen Ufayo, between the 10th to the 28th day of March, 2025, in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while working for Ecobank Nigeria Limited as a Relief Teller, fraudulently represented yourself as Ogunfodunrin Omowunmi Ajoke, by posting false deposit and withdrawal tellers on her Ecobank account number 2801086259 with intent to gain advantage for yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22(2)(b)(i) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015 and punishable by Section 22(2)(b) of the same Act.”
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