A 47-year-old man, Ugochukwu Eze, popularly 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 ₦800 million into multiple bank accounts.
Eze was brought before Justice Friday Ogazi on Thursday by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
According to the prosecution, represented by M. Bajela, the defendant and other suspects still at large allegedly conspired between 2023 and 2026 to unlawfully interfere with the bank’s computer system, resulting in the fraudulent diversion of over ₦800 million belonging to SunTrust Bank.
The DSS further alleged that Eze concealed and transferred proceeds linked to several cyberattacks targeting financial institutions and illegally gained access to critical national financial information infrastructure.
The prosecution said the alleged offences violate relevant provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2024, as well as the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
However, Eze pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Following his plea, the prosecution asked the court to remand the defendant and fix a date for trial.
Defence counsel, E. Afrogha, informed the court that a bail application had already been filed, noting that his client had spent more than a month in DSS custody.
Bajela, however, told the court he had not yet been served with the bail application, adding that the prosecution was ready to proceed with the trial.
After hearing both parties, Justice Ogazi adjourned the case until August 24 for the hearing of the bail application.
The judge also ordered that Eze be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service pending the determination of his bail request.
One of the charges alleged that Eze unlawfully disrupted the operations of SunTrust Bank’s computer system between 2023 and 2026 and, in the process, fraudulently diverted more than ₦800 million belonging to the bank.
The charge stated that the alleged offence is punishable under Section 8 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2024.
