The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, arraigned two staff members of Premium Trust Bank, Kehinde Odeyemi and Matthew Adeniyi Damilola, before Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, over alleged cyber-related offences.
They were charged alongside Samson Latshin Dakup, Bolaji Omotosho Yinka, and Sunday Badeniyi Okunola on a seven-count indictment bordering on conspiracy and attempted theft.
According to the EFCC, the defendants conspired to unlawfully manipulate the bank’s server and domain credentials in an effort to gain unauthorized access to Premium Trust Bank’s database and steal customers’ funds.
The commission, however, said the fraudulent plot was intercepted before any financial loss occurred.
One of the charges reads:
“That you, Kehinde Odeyemi, Samson Latshin Dakup, Bolaji Omotosho Yinka, Sunday Badeniyi Okunola, and Matthew Adeniyi Damilola, along with others at large—Humble, Wasiu, Isa Ismaila, and Victor Joshua Ilemona aka Oracle—between April and May 2025 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired to manipulate access codes including the bank’s server IP and domain credentials to unlawfully access Premium Trust Bank’s database for the purpose of stealing from the bank’s funds, thereby committing an offence contrary to Sections 27 and 28(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024), and punishable under Section 28(2) of the same Act.”
All five defendants pleaded not guilty.
Prosecuting counsel Zeenat B. Atiku requested a trial date and asked that the accused be remanded in a correctional facility.
Counsel for the first defendant, Adeleke Adepoju, appealed for bail in liberal terms but admitted he hadn’t filed a formal application. Other defense lawyers also sought to make oral bail applications, but the judge declined, directing that all bail requests be made formally.
Justice Owoeye ordered the first defendant to be remanded in Kirikiri Correctional Centre, while the second to fifth defendants were remanded at Ikoyi Correctional Centre.
The case was adjourned to June 30, 2025, for trial to commence.
