A Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos has ordered that a former manager of Ecobank Nigeria, Ifeanyi Azike, be remanded in prison.

Justice Ayotunde Faji gave the order on Thursday during the arraignment of Azike who was accused of defrauding the bank’s customers to the tune of N411million.

The defendant, who was handed over to the police by the investigative unit of the bank, was brought before the judge by the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigeria Police Force.

He was arraigned on three counts bordering on obtaining money under false pretence, false representation and fraud.

Azike, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges upon his arraignment.

Following his plea of not guilty, the police prosecutor, Daniel Apochi, urged the court to remand him in prison pending the commencement of his trial.

In his ruling, Justice Faji ordered that the defendant be remanded in prison till March 8, when his bail application would be heard.

In a charge marked ‘FHC/L/56c/2019’, the police alleged that between 2016 and 2017, Azike fraudulently obtained N150 million from a customer of Ecobank Nigeria under false pretence of buying him Federal Government Treasury Bill in his bank.

Azike was also alleged to have forged the bank customer’s signature, picture and letter of instruction which he reportedly used in opening another parallel account as Ikenna Okafor Kelvin with account number: 5333063028.

The police also claimed that the bank manager without the consent of the bank fraudulently converted the sum of N411 million belonging to the bank to his personal use.

The offences were said to be contrary to Sections 1 (1) (a), 15(1)(2) and 15(2) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud related Offence Act No. 14 of 2006, and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.

•Sourced from a Channels TV report