Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja has remanded, Andrew Odekina, an alleged hacker, who is part of a fraud syndicate that stole N3.09 billion from First City Monument Bank (FCMB).
Justice Dada ordered that Odekina be kept behind bars after he was arraigned before her by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC informed the judge that the defendant was among the suspects who allegedly carried out a major cyber-enabled fraud that resulted in over N3 billion being siphoned from the bank’s customer accounts.
The anti-graft agency also accused the defendant of retaining proceeds linked to the large-scale hacking operation that targeted some FCMB customers.
The Commission stated that its investigation found cybercriminals had unlawfully accessed the bank’s applications, allowing them to transfer N3.09 billion from various accounts.
Odekina was specifically charged with receiving and retaining N9.87 million, believed to be part of the stolen N3.09 billion, in his FCMB account in 2025.
The offence, according to the EFCC, contravenes the provisions of the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004.
The charge states that the defendant, alongside accomplices still at large, knowingly retained control of funds traced to fraudulent digital transactions carried out on the bank’s platform.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Based on his plea, Babatunde Sonoiki, prosecutor, urged the court to fix a trial date and remand the defendant in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service pending the conclusion of the trial.
The defendant appeared in court without legal representation.
After listening to the lawyer, Justice Dada adjourned the case to May 11 for trial and ordered that Odekina be remanded to the Kirikiri Correctional Facility.
