A Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has sentenced Solomon Ufayo, an Ecobank Plc staff member, to one year imprisonment for a cybercrime offence involving N2.4 million.
Ufayo was convicted on Monday, June 17, after being arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on May 16, 2025, and Justice Yellim Bogoro handed down the sentence after the court found him guilty on a one-count charge.
Dele Oyewale, spokesperson for the EFCC, stated that Ufayo was accused of impersonating Ogunfodunrin Omowunmi Ajoke, a bank customer, between March 10 and 28, with the intention of gaining unauthorized access to her account.
According to Mr Oyewale, while serving as a Relief Teller, Mr Ufayo allegedly manipulated deposit and withdrawal tellers on a customer’s Ecobank account (No. 2801086259), diverting a total of N2,404,000 into his personal Opay account.
The commission alleged that between March 10 and 28, 2025, in Lagos, the defendant, while employed by Ecobank Nigeria Limited as a Relief Teller, impersonated Ogunfodunrin Omowunmi Ajoke by creating false deposit and withdrawal slips on her Ecobank account number 2801086259, with the intention of gaining an advantage for himself.
According to the EFCC, Mr Ufayo’s actions breached Section 22(2)(b)(i) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc.) Act, 2015, which is punishable under Section 22(2)(b) of the same Act, and he pleaded guilty to the charge.
Following his plea, EFCC counsel Abdulhamid Tukur summoned EFCC operative David Gajere to review the facts of the case. Mr. Gajere informed the court that Mr. Ufayo voluntarily admitted to the crime and provided restitution to the petitioner in the form of a N2,404,000 bank draft.
The prosecution tendered key exhibits including the defendant’s statement, copies of falsified bank slips, and the certified true copy of the restitution bank draft.
The statement noted that the court admitted them in evidence.
Before sentencing, Mr Ufayo pleaded for leniency, citing personal hardship.
“I was tempted because my wife was pregnant. I was still in custody when she delivered. I have learnt my lesson,” he said.
But Mr Bogoro convicted Mr Ufayo and sentenced him to one year in prison with an option of N500,000 fine.
