Solomon Stephen Ufayo, a Relief Teller at Ecobank Nigeria Plc, was sentenced to one year imprisonment by Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, for cybercrime involving N2,404,000. Ufayo pleaded guilty to fraudulently posing as a customer, Ogunfodunrin Omowunmi Ajoke, between March 10 and 28, 2025, by posting false deposit and withdrawal transactions on her account without her consent. He subsequently withdrew the funds and transferred them into his personal Opay account.
During the trial, EFCC operative David Ngale Gajere presented evidence showing that Ufayo used falsified withdrawal slips to access the money and voluntarily made a restitution payment via bank draft for the full amount. Ufayo pleaded for mercy, citing financial hardship due to his wife’s pregnancy and the birth of his child while he was in custody, stating he had learned from his mistakes.
Justice Bogoro sentenced Ufayo to one year imprisonment with an option to pay a fine of N500,000 and ordered him to undertake two weeks of community service. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecuted the case following Ufayo’s arraignment on May 16, 2025, by its Lagos Zonal Directorate 2. The court’s decision underscores the judiciary’s commitment to tackling cybercrime within the banking sector and serves as a warning against fraudulent activities by bank insiders.
