Former banker Christopher Edeh jailed 39 years for N2.7bn fraud

By Ayorinde Oluokun

A former banker, Christopher Jackson Edeh was on Tuesday sentenced to a total of 39 years’ imprisonment for his involvement in a N2.7 billion fraud by Justice O.O. Abike-Fadipe of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.

Edeh was prosecuted by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on nine a nine-count charge bordering on fraudulent accounting and unauthorised access to a computer system.

EFCC alleged that Edeh who was first arraigned on February 28, 2024, altered the bank account details of several customers and government-related entities, including the Kano State Government Power Intervention Fund, NNPC Trading Limited, Stallion Vision Ltd, the Lagos State Government Blue Line, the State Contributory Pension Account and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, with intent to defraud.
 
During the trial, prosecuting counsel, Z.B. Atiku called three witnesses and tendered several documents in evidence to establish the case against the defendant.

The defence, on its part, 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 the nine counts.

The court sentenced Edeh to five years’ imprisonment without an option of fine on each of counts one to seven, bordering on fraudulent false accounting, and two years’ imprisonment without an option of fine on each of counts eight and nine, relating to unauthorised access to a computer system with intent to facilitate the commission of crimes.

The court ordered that all the sentences run concurrently.