Diversion Of Customer’s $510,000: Ex-Bank Staff Arraigned In Court

Alleged involvement in the diversion of Customer’s $510,000 has seen a former Head of Operations at Access Bank being arraigned in court.

He was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Enugu State, a statement posted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday, has stated.

The Enugu Zonal Directorate of the EFCC, had on Thursday, arraigned the ex-bank staff before Justice F. O. Giwa-Ogunbanjo, where he pleaded not guilty to the allegations.

According to the EFCC, the case began on September 11, 2024, when the Commission received a petition from Access Bank Plc alerting the agency to unauthorized transfers from a customer’s account.

“According to the petitioner, the sum of $510,000 belonging to its customer, Lantern Gate Nigeria Limited, was moved into six different accounts on the authorisation of Obinna Nwaobi, its Head of Operations at that time, without the approval of the customer,” the EFCC statement partly reads.

The bank stated that the alleged breach—coupled with the customer’s representatives explicitly denying issuing any instruction for the transfer—raised concerns and prompted further investigation.

The defendant was subsequently arraigned on a nine-count charge bordering on forgery and criminal diversion of $510,000 belonging to the bank’s customer, Lantern Gate Nigeria Limited.

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The Commission contended that the action contravened Section 1(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.

At the resumed proceedings, the defendant pleaded “not guilty” to all the charges, paving the way for trial.

However, while defence counsel, F. C. Obinna, drew the court’s attention to a bail application dated October 24, 2025, urging the court to grant bail on liberal terms, this was opposed by counsel to the EFCC, Assistant Commander of the EFCC Adaka Ekwu.

Ekwu, through an 11-paragraph counter-affidavit filed on November 12, 2025, urged the court to reject the application, stressing that “the quality of evidence we have in our proof of evidence might put fear in him, and he might want to abscond.”

After listening to both parties, the court granted the defendant bail in the sum of N250 million (Two Hundred and Fifty Million Naira) with three sureties in like sum.

The sureties must have landed properties in Enugu State, and the documents of those properties must be deposited with the court, the ruling stated.

“The third surety shall be a relative of the defendant, who shall deposit evidence of tax payment for three years.

“The defendant and the sureties shall each deposit two passport photographs, while the defendant shall deposit his international passport and National Identification Number with the court until the determination of this case,” the judge was quoted as saying, even as the case was adjourned to March 10, 11, and 12, 2026, for trial.

The defendant was also remanded at the Nigeria Correctional Service facility in Enugu pending the perfection of his bail conditions.