Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Monday, June 16, 2025, convicted and sentenced one Solomon Stephen Ufayo, a staff of Ecobank Plc, to one-year imprisonment for cybercrime.
The
convict
was arraigned
on
Friday,
May
16,
2025
by
the
Lagos
Zonal
Directorate
2
of
the
Economic
and
Financial
Crimes
Commission,
EFCC,
on
a
one
-count
charge
bordering
on
cybercrime
to
the
tune
of
N2,404,000(Two
Million
Four
Hundred
and
Four
Thousand
Naira).
The
charge
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.”
The
defendant
pleaded
“guilty”
to
the
charge
when
it
was
read
to
him.
Following his “guilty” plea, the prosecution counsel, Abdulhamid L.Tukur, called on David Ngale Gajere, an operative of the EFCC, to review the facts of the case.
Gajere, in his review of the fact, told the court that Ufayo, who is a Relief Teller with the 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
informed
the
court
that
the
defendant
provided
an
extra-judicial
statement
and
also
issued
a
bank
draft
for
N2,404,000
as
restitution
to
the
petitioner.
At
the
resumed
sitting
on
Monday, the
defendant
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 consequently
convicted
and
sentenced
him
to
one
year
imprisonment,
with
an
option
of
fine
in
the
sum
of
N500,00
(Five
Hundred
Thousand
Naira).
The convict was also ordered to serve a two-week community service.
The convict bagged his imprisonment when, as a Relief Teller with Ecobank, he 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.
Media & Publicity
June 16, 2025
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