A former employee of Access Bank Plc, Chinonso Akujobi, has been arraigned before the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja over the alleged theft of N294,595,992 belonging to the financial institution.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which announced the development on Thursday, said the defendant was arraigned by its Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 before Justice I.O. Ijelu on a five-count charge bordering on alleged stealing.
According to the anti-graft agency, Akujobi allegedly committed the offences between January and December 2025 while working for Access Bank.
The EFCC alleged that the former banker unlawfully transferred hundreds of millions of naira from the bank’s general ledger into personal accounts without authorization.
One of the charges 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 name Chinonso A., Uchechi A. and Florence A., the sum of N109,325,566.86 (One Hundred and Nine Million Three Hundred and Twenty-five Thousand Five Hundred and Sixty-six Naira Eighty-six Kobo), thereby committed an offence of stealing, contrary to Section 280 and punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.”
Akujobi pleaded not guilty when the five-count charge was read before the court.
Following the plea, prosecution counsel, S.M. Yabo, asked the court to fix a date for trial and prayed that the defendant be remanded in a correctional facility pending the hearing of the case.
Justice I.O. Ijelu subsequently adjourned the matter until October 8, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application and the commencement of trial.
The judge also ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending further proceedings.
