Premium Trust Bank official narrates how colleague supplied him $7,000 bribe to hack {bank}’s system


An official of Premium Trust Bank, Ajayi Michael Folaseye, has narrated earlier than a Federal Excessive Court docket, Ikoyi, Lagos, how he turned down a $7,000 bribe supplied by a colleague who sought unauthorized entry to the {bank}’s inner methods.

Folaseye, the primary prosecution witness (PW1), testified within the ongoing trial of Kehinde Odeyemi and Matthew Adeniyi Damilola, each workers of Premium Trust Bank, earlier than Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal Excessive Court docket, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Monday, June 30, 2025.

The defendants are standing trial alongside three others — Samson Latshin Dakup, Bolaji Omotosho Yinka, and Sunday Badeniyi Okunola — on a seven-count cost of conspiracy to steal, filed towards them by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the {Economic} and {Financial} Crimes Fee, EFCC.

Led in proof by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, Folaseye, an Info Know-how (IT) officer on the {bank}, instructed the courtroom that the primary defendant, Kehinde Odeyemi, an inner auditor, made the supply throughout a discreet dialog on Could 5, 2025.

“She approached me throughout workplace hours and advised we may make some cash by way of a ‘facet gig,’” he mentioned.

“She requested for a generic IP tackle used inside the IT division.”

Folaseye defined that he knowledgeable her that no such generic IP tackle existed, including that he solely had a private IP tackle assigned for his every day duties.

Regardless of his refusal, Odeyemi allegedly supplied him $5,000 in money, promising to have it delivered from the {bank}’s head workplace that night.

“Once I declined, she elevated the supply to $7,000,” he mentioned.

“I instructed her I wasn’t . She then instructed me to maintain the dialog secret and threatened to resign if I reported it,” the witness added.

Folaseye mentioned he instantly tried to report the incident to his supervisor, Mr. Kenneth Nwaeze.

When Nwaeze was unavailable, he escalated the matter to Mr. Idris Adegoke and ultimately to the Head of IT, Mr. Mike Koledoye.

In accordance with him, Koledoye convened a gathering on Could 6, 2025, with all events concerned, listened to their accounts, and instructed that applicable safety measures be carried out.

Every week later, on Could 13, Folaseye and two different employees members have been invited by the EFCC to provide formal statements.

The witness additional defined that the IP tackle Odeyemi requested was a extremely delicate entry level to the {bank}’s servers and databases.

“It’s a code that grants entry to buyer information and core banking operations. Disclosing it might pose severe cybersecurity dangers,” he mentioned.

He added that sharing such delicate data would represent a violation of the {bank}’s information safety insurance policies.

“My division is the spine of the {bank}. We warehouse all transaction information. A breach may result in cyber assaults or erode buyer belief,” he said.

When requested why he determined to report the dialog regardless of being urged to stay silent, Folaseye mentioned, “Given previous incidents, the {bank} mandates us to report any suspicious behaviour instantly. It may have been a lure or an integrity check.”

The prosecution then sought to tender the witness’ written assertion to the EFCC as proof.

Though the defence objected, citing illegibility, Justice Owoeye admitted the doc, ruling that the issues raised have been points for cross-examination, not grounds for inadmissibility.

Earlier, the primary defendant’s counsel, Adeleke Adepoju, utilized for an adjournment, arguing that the defence had insufficient entry to prosecution supplies needed for trial preparation.

He referenced Part 36(6) of the Structure and Part 396 of the Administration of Prison Justice Act, 2015.

Counsel for the second and fifth defendants, Olusola and A. Oliha, additionally opposed the trial’s graduation, claiming the proof of proof was unclear and unreadable.

Nonetheless, Oyedepo countered, insisting the prosecution had served the paperwork since June 19.

“If the defence had issues, they need to have raised them earlier than immediately. Everybody agreed to this trial date,” he argued, urging the courtroom to proceed.

In a bench ruling, Justice Owoeye dismissed the purposes and directed the prosecution to proceed with its first witness. The case was adjourned to July 18, 2025, for additional listening to.

The EFCC had, on Could 20, 2025, arraigned Odeyemi, Damilola, and the three others earlier than the Federal Excessive Court docket in Ikoyi, Lagos, on a seven-count cost of conspiracy to steal.

One of many counts reads: “That you just, Kehinde Odeyemi, Samson Latshin Dakup, Bolaji Omotosho Yinka, Sunday Badeniyi Okunola, and Matthew Adeniyi Damilola, together with individuals recognized as Humble (at massive), Wasiu (at massive), Isa Ismaila (at massive), and one other known as Victor Joshua Ilemona aka Oracle (at massive), conspired unlawfully between April and Could 2025 in Lagos, inside the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court docket, to govern the entry code (together with the {bank}’s server IP and area credentials) of Premium Trust Bank Restricted in a bid to realize unauthorised entry to your entire database of Premium Trust Bank Restricted for the aim of committing an offence to wit: stealing from the {bank}’s funds, and also you thereby dedicated an offence opposite to Part 27 and 28 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, And so on.) Act, 2015 (as amended, 2024), which is punishable beneath Part 28 (2) of the identical Act.”

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