An employee of Ecobank Nigeria Plc, Solomon Stephen Ufayo, has pleaded guilty to a cybercrime offence involving the fraudulent diversion of ₦2.404 million.
Mr Ufayo, a Relief Teller with the bank, entered his plea before Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court in Lagos, following his arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) last Friday.
According to the EFCC, the offence took place between 10 and 28 March 2025. Ufayo was charged with impersonating a customer of the bank, Miss Omowunmi Ajoke, by fraudulently posting false deposits into her Ecobank account.
He then filled out withdrawal slips without her consent and transferred the total amount of ₦2,404,000 into his personal Opay account.
During proceedings, EFCC prosecutor Abdulhamid L. Tukur presented Mr David Ngale Gajere, an EFCC operative, to review the facts of the case. Gajere informed the court that the defendant had made an extra-judicial confession and issued a bank draft in the full amount as restitution to the complainant.
The court admitted into evidence the defendant’s statement, copies of the fraudulent deposit slips, and a certified true copy of the bank draft.
These documents were marked as exhibits.
In view of the guilty plea, the evidence presented, and the exhibits tendered, Justice Bogoro adjourned the case to 6 June 2025 for judgment.
He also ordered the remand of the defendant at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending sentencing.
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 and Prevention etc) Act, 2015 and punishable by Section 22(2)(b) of the same Act.”
