Ex Access Bank staff member arraigned for alleged N294.5m theft

●EFCC says former employee diverted funds to three accounts in 2025

The Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday, July 9, 2026, arraigned a former staff of Access Bank PLC, Chinonso Akujobi, for alleged theft of N294,595,992 before Justice I.O. Ijelu of the State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos

Chinonso is facing a five-count charge bordering on stealing.

—The charges—

One of the counts reads:

“That you, Chinonso Akujobi, sometime between January and December 2025, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with a dishonest intent, and while under the employment of Access Bank PLC, stole and converted for your own use, by unauthorized payments from the general ledger of the bank to your Access Bank account number 0036668871 with the names Chinonso A., Uchechi A. and Florence A., the sum of N109,325,566.86, thereby committed an offence of stealing, contrary to Section 280 and punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.”

The prosecution alleged the total amount involved in all counts is N294.5 million.

—Court proceedings—

The defendant pleaded “not guilty” to the charges when they were read to her.

Prosecution counsel, S.M. Yabo, asked the court for a trial date and prayed for the remand of the defendant in a correctional centre.

Justice Ijelu adjourned the case till October 8, 2026 for the hearing of the bail application and the commencement of trial.

The judge also ordered that the defendant be remanded in the Ikoyi Correctional Centre.