On Thursday, May 15, 2025, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) presented its first witness in the ongoing trial of four individuals accused of defrauding Access Bank Plc of over ₦5.7 billion. The case, being heard before Justice O.O. Abike-Fadipe of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, involves former Access Bank employee Olajide Ogunmoroti, along with Michael Igbomina, David Onyeike, and Moses Iruolaje. They are facing an amended 10-count charge that includes allegations of stealing, money laundering, obtaining credit by false pretenses, and unauthorized access to computer systems.
The prosecution’s first witness, Abdulmajeed Agboola, a staff member of Access Bank, testified about a significant fraud that was traced to the bank’s Abakaliki branch. Agboola explained that the fraud stemmed from a server glitch, which led investigators to discover fraudulent overdraft limits on customer accounts. These limits allowed the fraudulent withdrawal of funds from accounts that were not properly funded, with money being transferred to various accounts in Access Bank and other financial institutions. According to Agboola, the total exposure due to these suspicious overdraft limits amounted to over ₦5 billion.
The witness further stated that CCTV footage from the Abakaliki branch was reviewed during the investigation, but it was discovered that the footage had been erased. Agboola revealed that during his investigation, all evidence pointed to the first defendant, Ogunmoroti, who allegedly admitted to using a private laptop to access the bank’s data and carry out the fraudulent transactions. Agboola emphasized that personal laptops were prohibited by the bank’s policy for such purposes.
The prosecution, led by Abdulhamid L. Tukur, sought to introduce the bank’s petitions as evidence, and the court admitted the documents after no objections were raised by the defense.
The court heard that the accused individuals were responsible for converting the stolen funds for their personal use, with the prosecution outlining two key charges. One of the charges states that the defendants, in 2023, unlawfully took ₦2.25 billion from Access Bank, while another charge involves the theft of ₦3.47 billion.
Justice Abike-Fadipe adjourned the case to May 20, 2025, for the continuation of the trial. The court proceedings are expected to shed more light on the full extent of the alleged fraudulent activities.
