Bank manager, 4 other employees remanded by court, case adjourned until June 30 for trial
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
A Premium Trust Bank e-payment service manager, Matthew Adeniyi Damilola, and four other fellow employees have been remanded by a Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly hacking into the bank’s server which led to a $10,000 heist.
Damilola and the other defendants – Kehinde Odeyemi, a nursing mother, Samson Latshin Dakup, Bolaji Omotosho Yinka, and Sunday Badeniyi Okunnola – are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
They are facing six counts involving conspiracy, cybercrime, and unlawful access to the bank’s database preferred against them before Judge Alexander Owoeye.
EFCC prosecution counsel Zeenat Atiku told the court that the offences were committed between April and May 2025 during which the defendants colluded with three others – Humble, Isa Ismaila, and Victor Joshua Ilemona, also known as Oracle – currently at large.
Atiku also alleged that:
- Damilola, the bank’s e-payment manager, unlawfully disclosed the bank’s server access code, including IP and domain credentials, which allegedly enabled the other defendants to gain unauthorised access to the database of Premium Trust Bank, resulting in their financial gain of $10,000.
- The defendants procured an HP ProBook 440 G9 laptop (Serial No. SN#5CD2473N6G), specifically to bypass the bank’s security systems. An Eagle flash drive was also acquired for the same purpose.
- The offences contravene Sections 12(1)(b), 27, 28(1)(b)(c), and 28(3) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024), and are punishable under Section 28(2) of the same Act.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges, after which the prosecution requested a trial date and urged the court to remand them in prison custody pending trial.
Attempts by the defence to make oral bail applications were rejected by the Judge, who advised them to file formal bail applications and adjourned the case until June 30 for trial.
The court ordered that all the defendants be remanded in the custody of a correctional centre pending trial and advised their counsel to apply for the abridgement of the date once their bail applications are ready.
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