The Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has secured the conviction and sentencing of Sani Endurance Aferokhe and Hillary Odo, two former bankers, for diverting N10.3 million belonging to bank customers.
According to a post on X by the commission on Wednesday the judgment was delivered by Justice A. O. Onovo of the Enugu State High Court sitting in Independence Layout, Enugu.
The case was handled by the EFCC and relates to offences committed while the convicts were staff of Intercontinental Bank Plc, now Access Bank Plc.
Aferokhe and Odo were arraigned on January 18, 2016, on a 15-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery, and stealing the fund on a seven count 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.
The offences are contrary to Section 459(a) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 30 of Enugu State of Nigeria, 2004. The defendants pleaded not guilty, leading to a full trial.
During the trial, the EFCC, through its counsel, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE II Michael Ikechukwu Ani, presented five witnesses and tendered several documents as evidence.
In its judgment delivered on Friday, December 22, 2025, the court dismissed counts six and nine.
The second defendant was convicted on counts four and seven, while the first defendant was convicted on counts one, two, three, five, eight, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen.
The court sentenced the second defendant to five years’ imprisonment on counts four and seven, with an option of a N100,000 fine on each count.
The first defendant was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on each of the counts, except count fifteen, for which he received a three-year sentence, all with an option of a N100,000 fine per count.
The convicts, who are former staff of Access Bank, were found guilty after conspiring to reactivate three dormant customer accounts belonging to pensioners without their consent and diverting the funds for personal use.
