EFCC has arraigned two over alleged $15,000 FCMB Access Credentials deal.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned Gideon Bakpa Aghogho and Oscar Ebere Chukwuebuka over the alleged unlawful disclosure of First City Monument Bank access credentials in exchange for $15,000.
The defendants were brought before Justice F.N. Ogazi of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday.
The EFCC disclosed the development in a statement issued on Thursday by its Lagos Zonal Directorate 1.
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Aghogho and Chukwuebuka were arraigned alongside one Scott, who is currently at large, on an eight-count charge relating to the alleged unauthorised supply of access credentials to FCMB’s database.
The Commission alleged that the offences violated Sections 27 and 28(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act 2015, as amended in 2024.
One of the counts alleged that the defendants conspired between July 24 and 26, 2026, to supply Aghogho’s local administrative credentials for access to FCMB’s Virtual Centre Platform.
The charge read in part: “That you, Gideon Bakpa Aghogho, Oscar Ebere Chukwuebuka, along with an individual identified as Scott (at large), conspired unlawfully between 24th and 26th July 2026 in Lagos… by supplying for use the access code of Gideon Bakpa Aghogho to the FCMB system using the local Administrative Credential (ITSD).”
The prosecution alleged that the credentials could provide access to the bank’s virtual platform and facilitate the commission of an offence.
Another count accused Aghogho of knowingly disclosing FCMB’s server Internet Protocol address and domain credentials without authorisation, allegedly in exchange for $15,000.
When the charges were read, Aghogho pleaded not guilty, while Chukwuebuka pleaded guilty.
Following Aghogho’s plea, EFCC counsel Bilkisu Buhari requested a trial date and asked the court to remand him in a correctional facility.
The prosecution also requested a review of the facts relating to Chukwuebuka following his guilty plea.
Justice Ogazi adjourned the case until August 27, 2026, for a review of the facts and further proceedings.
The court ordered that both defendants be remanded at a correctional centre pending the next hearing.
The case comes amid heightened concerns about cyberattacks and technology-enabled financial crimes targeting Nigerian banks and other financial institutions.
According to the INTERPOL African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026, Nigeria recorded 5,822 ransomware detections in 2025 and remained exposed to business email compromise, international money laundering and other cyber threats.
The report noted that Nigerian government agencies and businesses were increasingly targeted by ransomware attacks, while criminal networks operating from the country continued to participate in cyber-enabled financial crimes.
