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By Victory Oghene
A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the remand of five persons including a bank manager and a nursing mother, over allegations of hacking into the server of Premium Trust Bank.
The accused include Matthew Adeniyi Damilola, the bank’s E-Payment Service Manager; Kehinde Odeyemi, a nursing mother with a four-month-old baby; Samson Latshin Dakup, Bolaji Omotosho Yinka, and Sunday Badeniyi Okunnola.
They were arraigned before Justice Alexander Owoeye on a six-count charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), relating to conspiracy, cybercrime, and unauthorized access to the bank’s database.
According to prosecuting counsel Zeenat B. Atiku, the alleged offences took place between April and May 2025. The defendants were said to have conspired with three others—Humble, Isa Ismaila, and Victor Joshua Ilemona (a.k.a. Oracle)—who remain at large.
The EFCC alleged that Damilola disclosed sensitive banking credentials, including the server IP address and domain details, which enabled unauthorized access to Premium Trust Bank’s database.
The breach reportedly led to financial gains amounting to $10,000.
Atiku also stated that the co-defendants attempted to intercept the bank’s network and acquired a Hewlett-Packard ProBook 440 G9 laptop (Serial No. SN#5CD2473N6G) configured to bypass the bank’s security infrastructure.
The prosecution noted that the alleged actions 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.
All five defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following the plea, the prosecution requested a trial date and asked for the defendants to be remanded in custody. The court declined oral bail applications from the defense, instructing that formal applications be filed instead.
Justice Owoeye adjourned the matter to June 30, 2025, for trial and ordered the remand of all defendants in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service. The court also granted the defense the liberty to apply for an earlier trial date upon filing their bail applications.
