Justice Ismail Ijelu of the Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja, on Tuesday adjourned proceedings in the trial of former Fidelity Bank customer service representative, Chukwuebuka Nweke, to 14 May 2026. The adjournment was granted to enable the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Fidelity Bank Plc to produce documents and CCTV footage requested by the defence.
Nweke is standing trial on Charge No. ID/26820C/2025, brought by the EFCC, alleging unauthorised access with intent to commit or facilitate further offences, contrary to Section 386(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. According to the amended information, the defendant allegedly accessed a desktop computer assigned to another staff member, Emmanuella Anyanwu, on 21 June 2025, thereby facilitating the unauthorised withdrawal of ₦1 million from the account of one Leelee Dumbari.
At the resumed hearing, Adewale Bashir appeared for the prosecution, while Chris Ejioffor represented the defendant.
Opening his defence, Nweke denied involvement in the alleged fraudulent withdrawal and maintained that he was wrongly implicated. He explained that workstations at the bank’s contact centre were not exclusive to individual staff, as multiple employees on night shifts often used whichever system was available.
He recounted that the matter began during a night shift when he received a complaint from a customer about an unauthorised debit of ₦500,000. The customer disclosed that she had earlier lost her phone, changed her registered number at the bank, and was later robbed after visiting a nightclub. While still on the call, another ₦500,000 debit occurred.
Nweke testified that he immediately escalated the issue to his supervisor and initiated steps to restrict the account, noting that his role only permitted him to commence the process pending supervisory approval. He admitted briefly assisting his colleague, Anyanwu, to sign out of a system but denied using it for fraudulent transactions.
The defendant stated that he was shocked when the bank’s investigation unit accused him of involvement in the withdrawal. He further linked the allegation to a separate ₦23 million transaction purportedly for solar panel payments, insisting he had no connection to either case.
Nweke alleged that during internal investigations, he was pressured to facilitate repayment of the disputed sum to avoid escalation. His younger brother, he said, eventually sold part of their mother’s land to raise ₦1 million, which was paid via bank draft in the name of the EFCC rather than the nominal complainant. Despite this, he was not released.
He also told the court that he was detained by the EFCC for five months, during which his phone was seized and he was compelled to make statements without access to a lawyer or family members. He narrated how he managed to get word to his brother through another detainee, after which his brother forced access to him at the EFCC office.
Maintaining his innocence, Nweke insisted he did not benefit from any of the disputed funds and had been falsely implicated. His counsel, Ejioffor, urged the court to order the EFCC and Fidelity Bank to produce crucial materials, including desktop conversation records and CCTV footage, to establish the true circumstances of the case.
Justice Ijelu granted the application and directed the EFCC and the bank to produce the requested evidence. The matter was adjourned to 14 May 2026 for continuation of trial.
… Court Adjourns Fidelity Bank Fraud Trial as Defence Demands EFCC, Bank Evidence … Naijaonpoint.
