A Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday sentenced a former banker, Christopher Jackson Edeh, to 39 years’ imprisonment over a N2.7 billion fraud case prosecuted by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice O.O. Abike-Fadipe found Edeh guilty on all nine counts of fraudulent false accounting and unauthorised access to a computer system.
Edeh was arraigned on February 28, 2024. The charges alleged that he altered the bank account details of several customers and government-related entities with intent to defraud. The affected accounts included those of the Kano State Government Power Intervention Fund, NNPC Trading Limited, Stallion Vision Ltd, the Lagos State Government Blue Line, the State Contributory Pension Account and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University.
At trial, prosecution counsel Z.B. Atiku called three witnesses and tendered several documents in evidence. The defence called one witness.
Delivering judgment, Justice Abike-Fadipe held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
She sentenced Edeh to five years’ imprisonment without the option of a fine on each of counts one to seven, which relate to fraudulent false accounting. On counts eight and nine, which relate to unauthorised access to a computer system with intent to facilitate the commission of crimes, he received two years’ imprisonment each, also without the option of a fine.
The court ordered that the sentences run concurrently.
