Crime & Justice

EFCC Arraigns FCMB Staff, Accomplice Over Alleged $25,000 Credential Deal

Published

4 weeks ago

August 19, 2026

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday arraigned two men, Gideon Bakpa Aghogho, a staff member of First City Monument Bank (FCMB), and Oscar Ebere Chukwuebuka, before the Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged unlawful dealings involving the bank’s access credentials.

The defendants were arraigned alongside an individual identified as “Scott”, who the prosecution said is currently at large.

They were brought before Justice F.S.N. Ogazi on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, unauthorised access to a computer system, unlawful disclosure of access credentials, attempted interception of a network database and retention of proceeds of unlawful acts.

The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the EFCC said the charges arose from the alleged unlawful supply and use of access credentials capable of granting access to FCMB’s database.

The offences were said to contravene provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024, as well as relevant provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

EFCC prosecutor, Bilikisu Buhari, appeared for the Commission, while N. Egah represented Aghogho and M. Livingstone appeared for Chukwuebuka. Patrick Ngbeoma held a watching brief for the nominal complainant.

When the charges were read to them, Aghogho pleaded not guilty, while Chukwuebuka pleaded guilty.

Following Aghogho’s plea, Buhari urged the court to remand him in a correctional centre and sought a date for the commencement of trial.

In respect of Chukwuebuka, the prosecutor asked the court to fix a date for the review of facts following his guilty plea.

Justice Ogazi subsequently adjourned the matter until August 27, 2026, for review of facts and other proceedings, and ordered that the defendants be remanded in a correctional centre.

According to the charge, Aghogho allegedly supplied his access code to the FCMB system using the local Administrative Credential (ITSD), which the prosecution said was capable of allowing access to the FCMB Virtual Center Platform.

The EFCC alleged that the access credentials were supplied between July 24 and 26, 2026, in Lagos, with the intention of committing an offence.

In another count, the Commission alleged that Aghogho, between April and May 2025 in Lagos, knowingly and without lawful authority disclosed access credentials, including FCMB’s server IP and domain credentials, to facilitate access to the bank’s database in exchange for $15,000.

Chukwuebuka was similarly accused of disclosing access credentials, including the bank’s server IP and domain credentials, allegedly for a financial benefit of $10,000.

The prosecution further alleged that Aghogho and Chukwuebuka, together with “Scott”, attempted to use an HP Elite laptop assigned to Aghogho by FCMB as a working tool to gain unauthorised access to the bank’s database between July 24 and 26, 2026.

The EFCC also alleged that the defendants and “Scott” attempted to intercept FCMB’s network database without authorisation.

The final two counts relate to the alleged retention of proceeds of unlawful acts.

According to the charge, Aghogho allegedly retained $2,000 on or about July 26, 2026, while Chukwuebuka allegedly retained $400, which the prosecution said they reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of unlawful acts.

Crime & Justice

Court Jails Fake Spiritualist for Sextortion in Abuja

Published

6 days ago

September 10, 2026

Staff Editor

Justice C.N. Nwabulu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, convicted and sentenced a fake spiritualist, Solomon Odigie Moses, to one year’s imprisonment.

Moses was arraigned on a one-count charge bordering on cheating and impersonating a spiritualist, thereby defrauding and obtaining the sum of $1,100 (One Thousand, One Hundred United States Dollars) from an Indian lady seeking spiritual healing.

Moses, who was arrested in Ekpoma, Edo State, received and laundered the $1,100 through his Zelle payment platform, after which the naira equivalent was paid into his local bank account.

The convict subsequently deceived the victim into taking a naked spiritual bath, which he recorded live without her permission, and thereafter blackmailed her, demanding that she send him money or he would make the video public.

Investigation by the EFCC revealed that the victim had to pay the sum of $1,100 to the suspect to prevail on him not to release the video of her nudity to the public.

The charge against him read: “That you, Solomon Odigie Moses (A.K.A. DR SOLOMON), sometime in 2026 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did fraudulently impersonate a spiritual leader named Dr. Solomon on a fictitious TikTok account and obtained the sum of $1,100 (One Thousand, One Hundred Dollars) from an Indian lady by name Sharon Kaur, for the purpose of spiritual prayer and assistance, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code Act (Abuja) LFN, 1990 and punishable under Section 322 of the same Act.”

He pleaded “guilty”, following which the prosecution counsel, Maryam Hayatudeen, urged the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.

In his ruling, Justice Nwabulu convicted and sentenced Moses to one year’s imprisonment with an option of a ₦300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira) fine.

The judge further directed that the $1,100 proceeds of crime be forfeited to the victim through the EFCC.

Crime & Justice

Immigration Intercepts Two With ₦34m Allegedly Meant For Kidnap Ransom

Published

6 days ago

September 10, 2026

Staff Editor

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has intercepted two persons in Adamawa State with ₦34 million in cash, with the suspects allegedly linked to a kidnapping syndicate.

The suspects were intercepted with the cash during an operation in the state.

The Comptroller of Immigration Service, Sani Sule-Jega, disclosed this at a media briefing in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.

According to him, preliminary investigations showed that the suspects claimed the money was intended to pay ransom for their abducted brother.

In a separate operation, the Adamawa State Command of the NIS also intercepted 17 irregular migrants at Rumde Baruw in Yola North Local Government Area of the state.

The undocumented migrants were intercepted at a private three-bedroom residence during an operation by officers of the command.

Sule-Jega said preliminary profiling showed that 13 of the migrants were Cameroonian nationals, comprising eight males and five females, while the remaining four were Chadian nationals, all males.

The Comptroller noted a shift in the accommodation pattern of undocumented migrants, particularly their increasing use of private and unregistered apartments instead of conventional lodging facilities such as hotels.

He said the service was intensifying surveillance and intelligence-led operations to identify and address emerging patterns of irregular migration in the state.

Sule-Jega reiterated the command’s commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s territorial integrity, improving migration management and strengthening border security.

He urged members of the public to remain vigilant and provide credible information that could assist security agencies in maintaining peace and security across the state.

The suspects and recovered cash have been taken into custody for further investigation and necessary action in accordance with established procedures and applicable laws.

The Comptroller General of Immigration has directed that the suspects and exhibits be handed over to the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation.

Crime & Justice

Court Adjourns KC Luxury’s Detention Challenge as NDLEA Says Bail Possible

Published

1 week ago

September 9, 2026

Staff Editor

Justice Friday Ogazi of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on Wednesday adjourned until September 21, 2026, the hearing of pending applications in the case involving detained businessman and social media influencer, Afolabi Kazeem Michael, popularly known as KC Luxury.

The adjournment followed submissions by counsel to Kazeem, Abdulakeem Labi-Lawal, SAN, and counsel to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Abu Ibrahim, that the court should await the ruling of a sister court on an application challenging its jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

At the proceedings, Labi-Lawal told the court that although the NDLEA had obtained an order authorising it to keep Kazeem in custody for 30 days to conduct further investigations, the order did not expressly mandate that he remain detained throughout the entire period.

The senior lawyer further submitted that the NDLEA could release his client on bail if it was satisfied with the progress of its investigation.

The lawyer explained that Kazeem had challenged the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to grant the detention order, adding that the application had already been argued and the parties were awaiting the court’s ruling.

He urged Justice Ogazi to adjourn the matter to enable the parties to respond to the processes already filed.

Labi-Lawal noted that the respondents had served their counter-affidavit on the applicant’s legal team and that the applicant had five days within which to respond.

Ibrahim, counsel to the NDLEA, did not oppose the application for adjournment but clarified that the 30-day remand order was obtained in August, before Kazeem subsequently approached the court seeking an order for his production.

Justice Ogazi consequently adjourned the matter until September 21 for further proceedings.

Kazeem, through his lawyers led by Labi-Lawal, is challenging the legality of the August 20, 2026, ex parte order authorising his detention for 30 days in the first instance for further investigation into allegations of drug trafficking.

In the application filed in Suit No. FHC/LAG/MISC/1199/2026, the defence is asking the court to set aside or discharge the order on the grounds that no criminal charge had been filed against Kazeem.

The lawyers argued that the Federal High Court’s jurisdiction to try offences under the NDLEA Act is distinct from its power to make a pre-charge remand order.

According to them, the fact that the Federal High Court has jurisdiction to try offences under the NDLEA Act does not automatically confer on it the power to remand an uncharged suspect merely to allow investigators more time to complete their investigation.

“The jurisdiction to try a person charged with an offence under the NDLEA Act is fundamentally different from the jurisdiction to remand a suspect who has not yet been charged,” the lawyers submitted.

The defence has also challenged the duration of the detention, arguing that the 30-day order is contrary to the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.

The lawyers relied on Sections 293 to 299 of the ACJA, which provide the statutory framework for pre-charge remand.

They specifically cited Section 296(1), which provides that an initial remand order shall be for a period not exceeding 14 days in the first instance.

The defence argued that the use of the words “shall,” “not exceeding” and “in the first instance” leaves no discretion for a court to substitute 30 days for the statutory maximum of 14 days.

They argued that where investigators require additional time to keep a suspect in custody, the law requires further judicial scrutiny rather than permitting a single, uninterrupted 30-day detention order.

Kazeem’s lawyers have also asked the court to abridge the time for hearing the application and bring forward the September 17 date earlier fixed for the review of the detention order.

They argued that allowing the detention to continue could amount to an ongoing infringement of Kazeem’s constitutional right to personal liberty and render his challenge to the detention order nugatory.