Court Jails Ex-Bankers For Diverting Pensioners’ ₦10.3 Million In Enugu

A High Court in Enugu has sentenced two ex-bank officials, Sani Endurance Aferokhe and Hillary Odo, to prison for diverting more than ₦10.3 million from customers’ accounts, most of them pensioners.

The conviction was delivered by Justice A.O. Onovo of the Enugu State High Court sitting in Independence Layout, following their prosecution by the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The EFCC arraigned the former bankers on January 18, 2016, on a 15-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery and stealing. The charges stemmed from the unlawful diversion of ₦10,300,000 from customers’ accounts while the defendants were staff of Intercontinental Bank Plc, now Access Bank Plc.

Court documents showed that the defendants abused their positions to withdraw funds from customers’ accounts without authorization. One of the counts revealed that on November 21, 2012, they unlawfully withdrew ₦4,440,000 from an account belonging to Udekwu F.A.O. Another count detailed the theft of ₦2,113,610.40 from the account of Onuora George on October 12, 2012.

The offences were said to be contrary to Section 459(a) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 30, Laws of Enugu State, 2004. The defendants pleaded not guilty, leading to a full trial.

During the proceedings, the EFCC, through its counsel, Assistant Commander of the Commission, Michael Ikechukwu Ani, called five witnesses and tendered several documentary exhibits to prove its case.

In a judgment delivered on Friday, December 22, 2025, Justice Onovo dismissed counts six and nine but found the defendants guilty on several other counts.

Hillary Odo, the second defendant, was convicted on counts four and seven and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on each count, with an option of a ₦100,000 fine per count.

Sani Endurance Aferokhe, the first defendant, was convicted on counts one, two, three, five, eight, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15. He was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on each of the counts, except count fifteen, which attracted a three-year jail term. Each count also carried an option of a ₦100,000 fine.

The court found that the convicts conspired to reactivate three dormant accounts belonging to pensioners without their consent and diverted the funds for their personal benefit.