Lagos Court Convicts Christopher Jackson Edeh on Nine Counts of Fraudulent Accounting and Unauthorised Computer Access.
Enugu Media Village (EMV), the Most Updated Online News Platform — October 28, 2026.
A SPECIAL Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced a former Fidelity Bank Plc employee, Christopher Jackson Edeh, over a ₦2.7 billion fraud involving the alleged manipulation of customers’ bank account details and unauthorised access to a computer system.
Justice O.O. Abike-Fadipe delivered the judgment on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, finding Edeh guilty on nine counts bordering on fraudulent false accounting and unauthorised access to a computer system.
The case was prosecuted by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Edeh was initially arraigned on February 28, 2024, and pleaded not guilty to the charges before the trial commenced.
According to the EFCC’s case, the former banker allegedly altered account details belonging to several corporate customers and government-related entities with the intention of defrauding them.
The affected accounts reportedly included those associated with Dangote Cement Plc, NNPC Trading Limited, the Kano State Government Power Intervention Fund, the Lagos State Government Blue Line project, Stallion Vision Limited, the State Contributory Pension Account and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University.
One of the charges alleged that Edeh manipulated customer account information while working at Fidelity Bank in September 2023. Another linked him to unauthorised access to the bank’s Entrust portal in connection with the alleged attempted or intended diversion of ₦2,737,784,800.
During the proceedings, prosecution counsel Z.B. Atiku presented three witnesses and tendered documentary evidence to support the case, while the defence called one witness.
In her judgment, Justice Abike-Fadipe held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and consequently convicted Edeh on all nine counts.
The court imposed five years’ imprisonment without an option of fine on each of the first seven counts relating to fraudulent false accounting. For the remaining two counts involving unauthorised computer access, the judge imposed two years’ imprisonment without an option of fine on each count.
Although the individual sentences add up to 39 years, the court directed that all terms run concurrently. This means the effective prison term under the judgment is five years, not 39 years served consecutively.
The conviction underscores the importance of strong internal controls, secure banking systems and accountability in the management of customers’ funds. It also highlights the role of law enforcement agencies and the judiciary in prosecuting financial crimes and protecting public confidence in the banking sector.
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