The Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has convicted a former banker, Chukwuebuka Nweke, for unlawfully accessing a colleague’s computer in connection with the unauthorised withdrawal of N1m from a customer’s bank account.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission disclosed that Justice Ismail Ijelu convicted Nweke on Monday, October 19, 2026, after finding him guilty of the offence.
According to the EFCC, investigations established that Nweke, on June 21, 2025, accessed a desktop computer assigned to another employee, Emmanuella Anyanwu, without lawful authority.
The commission said the unauthorised access facilitated the withdrawal of N1m from the bank account of a customer, identified as Leelee Dumbari, with one of Nigeria’s new-generation banks.
The offence was said to contravene Section 386(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
Following its investigation, the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 arraigned Nweke on a one-count charge bordering on the unlawful withdrawal of the customer’s funds.
However, the former banker pleaded not guilty to the charge, prompting a full trial.
During the proceedings, prosecution counsel, M.K. Bashir, called five witnesses to establish the case against the defendant, while the defence presented one witness.
After evaluating the evidence adduced by both parties, Justice Ijelu found Nweke guilty as charged.
The court subsequently ordered him to pay a fine of N1m within 30 days.
The judge further ruled that failure to pay the fine within the stipulated period would result in Nweke being remanded in a correctional centre for six months.
The conviction underscores the legal consequences of unauthorised access to computer systems in connection with financial transactions, particularly within the banking sector, where the protection of customers’ funds and personal information remains critical.
The EFCC has continued to investigate and prosecute financial crimes, including alleged fraud, unauthorised transactions and other offences involving the abuse of financial systems.
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