A former Fidelity Bank employee, Christopher Jackson Edeh, has been sentenced to five years in prison by a Lagos court for his involvement in a ₦2.7 billion fraud case. The case involved the alteration of account details linked to customers, the Kano State Government, the Lagos State Government, and NNPC Trading Limited. Edeh was convicted on nine counts of fraudulent false accounting and unauthorized computer access.
According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Edeh altered the bank account details of several customers and government-related entities with the intent to defraud. The accounts named in the case included those linked to the Kano State Government Power Intervention Fund, NNPC Trading Limited, Stallion Vision Ltd, the Lagos State Government Blue Line project, the State Contributory Pension Account, and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University.
The case was prosecuted by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the EFCC, and Edeh was first arraigned on February 28, 2024, over allegations related to events in September 2023. One of the charges alleged that he gained unauthorized access to Fidelity Bank's Entrust portal with the intention of facilitating the theft of ₦2,737,784,800 held by the bank.
During the trial, prosecuting counsel Z.B. Atiku called three witnesses and tendered documentary evidence to support the prosecution's case. The defense called one witness. In her judgment, Justice O.O. Abike-Fadipe held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and convicted Edeh on all nine counts.
The court imposed five years' imprisonment without the option of a fine on each of the first seven counts, which concerned fraudulent false accounting. For the remaining two counts, involving unauthorized access to a computer system with intent to facilitate crimes, Edeh received two years' imprisonment on each count, also without an option of a fine.
Although the individual sentences add up to 39 years, the judge ordered that they run concurrently, making five years the effective prison term under the judgment. The conviction followed a trial that began after Edeh pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment in 2024.
The case also identified Dangote Cement Plc among the customers whose account details were allegedly altered while Edeh was employed by Fidelity Bank. With this conviction, the court aims to send a strong message against fraudulent activities in the banking sector.
Key points
- Christopher Jackson Edeh, a former Fidelity Bank employee, has been sentenced to 5 years in prison for his role in a ₦2.7 billion fraud case.
- The case involved the alteration of account details linked to customers, government entities, and NNPC Trading Limited.
- The court imposed a total of 39 years of imprisonment, but ordered them to run concurrently, resulting in an effective prison term of 5 years.
