Our Reporter, Abuja
The Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction and sentencing of two former bankers, Sani Endurance Aferokhe and Hillary Odo, for the criminal diversion of N10.3 million belonging to pensioner-customers of their bank.
The convicts were found guilty by Justice A. O. Onovo of the Enugu State High Court sitting in Independence Layout, Enugu.
Aferokhe and Odo, former staff of Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc), were arraigned on January 18, 2016, on a 15-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery and stealing.
One of the charges, count seven, stated that on or about November 21, 2012, at Nsukka, the defendants, while serving as employees of Intercontinental Bank Plc, stole the sum of N4,440,000 from a customer’s account belonging to Udekwu F. A. O., domiciled with the bank.
Another charge, count two, revealed that on or about October 12, 2012, also at Nsukka, the duo stole N2,113,610.40 from the account of another customer, Onuora George, likewise domiciled with Intercontinental Bank Plc.
The offences were said to be contrary to Section 459(a) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 30, Laws of Enugu State of Nigeria, 2004.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges, leading to a full trial. During the proceedings, the EFCC, through its counsel, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE II Michael Ikechukwu Ani, presented five witnesses and tendered several documentary exhibits in support of its case.
In his judgment delivered on Friday, December 22, 2025, Justice Onovo dismissed counts six and nine. The court convicted the second defendant, Hillary Odo, on counts four and seven, while the first defendant, Sani Endurance Aferokhe, was convicted on counts one, two, three, five, eight, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen and fifteen.
Odo was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on each of counts four and seven, with an option of a N100,000 fine on each count. Aferokhe was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on each of the counts for which he was convicted, except count fifteen, on which he received a three-year jail term. Each sentence carried an option of a N100,000 fine.
The court found that the convicts conspired to unlawfully reactivate three dormant accounts belonging to pensioners without their consent and diverted the funds for their personal use, an act that ultimately led to their conviction and imprisonment.
