Trial Adjourned for Alleged Fraud Involving Fidelity Bank Representative
Justice Ismail Ijeru of the Lagos State Special Offenses Court in Ikeja has postponed the trial of Chukwuebuka Nweke, a former customer service representative at Fidelity Bank. The adjournment allows the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the bank time to produce requested documents and video evidence pertinent to the case involving alleged unauthorized access to customer accounts.
This development followed the onset of Nweke’s defense, where he denied any wrongdoing in relation to the alleged fraudulent withdrawal of 1 million Naira from a customer’s account, asserting that he has been wrongfully accused.
In the case identified as Charge No. ID/26820C/2025, the EFCC has charged Nweke with unauthorized access, intending to commit or facilitate further offenses, which contravenes Section 386(1) of the Lagos State Penal Code of 2011. According to court documents, Nweke supposedly accessed the desktop computer assigned to another employee, Emmanuela Anyanwu, on June 21, 2025, enabling the unauthorized withdrawal from the account of a customer named Lilly Danbari.
During the hearing, EFCC Counsel Adewale Bashir represented the prosecution, while Chris Ejiofor stood in for Nweke. Nweke described in court that the workstations did not belong to any single employee. He explained that multiple staff members often worked night shifts, addressing customer inquiries using any available systems.
Furthermore, Nweke detailed an incident during his shift at the bank’s contact center when a customer reported an unauthorized debit of 500,000 Naira. The customer claimed he had been robbed after leaving a nightclub and suspected his account may have been compromised, particularly as he had previously lost his mobile phone and changed his registered phone number at the bank.
Following the call, Nweke escalated the issue to his supervisor and initiated the process to restrict the account. He stated that while he assisted Anyanwu by signing her out of the system, he emphatically denied executing any fraudulent transactions, asserting, “I have never used any system to conduct fraudulent transactions.”
Nweke expressed his astonishment upon being summoned by the bank’s investigation unit and accused of involvement in the withdrawal. He claimed the allegations were tied to a separate transaction involving 23 million Naira related to a solar panel purchase, insisting he had no role in either case. He reported feeling pressured to arrange for the disputed amount’s repayment to mitigate complications arising from the investigation.
Following his testimony, defense attorney Ejiofor urged the court to compel both the EFCC and Fidelity Bank to supply crucial evidence, such as desktop recordings of customer interactions and CCTV footage from within the bank. He argued that this evidence is essential for clarifying the incident’s true nature.
Justice Ijeru granted this request, instructing the EFCC and the bank to submit the necessary documents and video evidence by the next scheduled trial date, set for May 14, 2026.
