Nigeria: Man arraigned over alleged N800 million Suntrust Bank cyber fraud
By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria
A 47-year-old man, Ugochukwu Eze, also known as “Amazon,” has been arraigned before the Federal High Court in Lagos over allegations of hacking into the server of Suntrust Bank Plc and diverting more than N800 million into multiple bank accounts.
The defendant appeared before Justice Friday Ogazi on charges filed by the Department of State Services (DSS).
According to the prosecution, Eze and several other suspects who are still at large allegedly carried out the cyberattack between 2023 and 2026. Investigators claim the operation disrupted the bank’s computer system and led to the fraudulent transfer of over N800 million belonging to the financial institution.
Prosecutors also alleged that the defendant transferred and concealed funds believed to be proceeds of the cybercrime and unlawfully accessed critical national financial infrastructure.
Eze pleaded not guilty to all the charges brought against him.
Following his plea, the prosecution asked the court to set a trial date and remand the defendant while the case continues.
Defence counsel informed the court that a bail application had already been filed, noting that the defendant had spent more than one month in DSS custody. However, the prosecution said it had not yet received the bail application and indicated that its witnesses were ready for trial.
Justice Ogazi adjourned the case until August 24 to hear the bail application and ordered that Eze be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service pending the outcome of the bail hearing.
The charges allege that the defendant unlawfully interfered with Suntrust Bank’s computer system and fraudulently diverted more than N800 million, offences said to be punishable under Nigeria’s Cybercrimes and Money Laundering laws.
