Former Access Bank Operations Chief Arraigned for Alleged Diversion of Customer’s $510,000

ByEditor

Nov 15, 2025 #$510000 diversion Nigeria, #Access Bank fraud case, #bank forgery case, #EFCC Enugu, #Federal High Court Enugu, #Lantern Gate Nigeria Limited, #Nigerian financial crimes, #Obinna Nwaobi arraignment

Matilda Omonaiye/

A former Head of Operations at Access Bank Plc, Enugu branch, Obinna Nwaobi, has been arraigned before the Federal High Court in Enugu for allegedly diverting $510,000 belonging to a customer of the bank.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, brought Nwaobi before Justice F. O. Giwa-Ogunbanjo on November 13 on a nine-count charge bordering on forgery and criminal diversion of funds.

According to the charge sheet, Nwaobi is accused of inducing Access Bank to transfer $510,000 from the account of Lantern Gate Nigeria Limited on August 8, 2024 under the false claim that the company authorised the transaction.

The Commission alleges that he processed the transfer without the customer’s consent.

One of the counts also alleges that Nwaobi forged an Access Bank domestic funds transfer form dated August 28, 2024 with the intention of deceiving the bank into acting on the document as genuine.

Nwaobi pleaded not guilty to all charges.

His lawyer, F. C. Obinna, moved a bail application supported by an eight-paragraph affidavit and urged the court to grant bail on liberal terms.

However, EFCC counsel, ACE II Mainforce Adaka Ekwu, opposed the application, arguing in an 11-paragraph counter-affidavit that the weight of evidence might prompt the defendant to flee.

After hearing both sides, the judge granted Nwaobi bail in the sum of N250 million with three sureties in the same amount.

Two sureties must own landed property in Enugu State, with title documents deposited with the court.

The third must be a relative of the defendant and present proof of three years’ tax payments.

Nwaobi, along with the sureties, is required to submit two passport photographs each, while he must also deposit his international passport and National Identification Number with the court for the duration of the trial.

The judge ordered his remand at the Enugu facility of the Nigeria Correctional Service pending fulfilment of the bail conditions.

The matter was adjourned to March 10, 11 and 12, 2026 for trial.

Access Bank had petitioned the EFCC on September 11, 2024 after detecting unauthorised transfers from the account of Lantern Gate Nigeria Limited.

The bank stated that the customer confirmed it never issued instructions for the movement of the funds, prompting an internal alert and subsequent investigation by the Commission.