Two former bankers, Sani Aferokhe and Hillary Odo, have been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment each by an Enugu State High Court for the criminal diversion of N10.3 million belonging to customers while they were working at Intercontinental Bank Plc, now Access Bank Plc.
The duo was sentenced by Justice A. O. Onovo, nine years after being arraigned by the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on January 18, 2016, on a 15-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery, and stealing.
The convicts, former staff of Access Bank, were sentenced for conspiring to reactivate three accounts belonging to pensioner customers without their consent and diverting the funds for their personal benefit.
Count seven of the charge reads: Sani Endurance Aferokhe and Hillary Odo on or about the 21st day of November, 2012 at Nsukka within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, while as servants of Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc), stole the sum of Four Million, Four Hundred and Forty-four Thousand Naira (N4, 440, 000. 00) property of Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc) from a customer account with account name Udekwu F. A. O with number 00237808311 domiciled in Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc) and thereby committed an offence”.
Count two of the charge reads: “Sani Endurance Aferokhe and Hillary Odo on or about the 12th day of October 2012 at Nsukka within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while as servants of Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc), stole the sum of Two Million, One Hundred and Thirteen Thousand, Six Hundred and Ten Naira, forty Kobo (N2, 113, 610. 40) property of Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc) from a customer account with account name Onuora George with account number 0023781315 domiciled in Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc) and thereby committed an offence.
Both men, after being informed of the charges, alleged to be contrary to Section 459(a) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 30 of Enugu State, 2004, pleaded not guilty to the allegations against them.
During the cause of trial, the EFCC, through its counsel, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, Michael Ikechukwu Ani presented five witnesses and tendered several documents.
Delivering judgment on Friday, December 22, 2025, the court dismissed counts six and nine, convicted the second defendant on counts four and seven and convicted the first defendant on counts one, two, three, five, eight, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen and fifteen.
While the second defendant was sentenced to five years imprisonment on counts four and seven with an option of fine of N100, 000 on each count, the first defendant was sentenced to five years imprisonment on each of the said counts, except count fifteen which he was sentenced to three years imprisonment, with an option of N100, 000, 00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) fine, on each count.
