The Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday, August 6, arraigned 47-year-old Ugochukwu Eze, before a Federal High Court in Lagos for hacking into the server of SunTrust Bank and diverting N800 million into accounts across several financial institutions.
Eze, also known as “Amazon,” was arraigned before Justice Friday Ogazi on charges bordering on cybercrime, fraud and money laundering.
According to the DSS, the defendant and other suspects still at large conspired between 2023 and 2026 to unlawfully gain access to and seriously disrupt the bank’s computer system, leading to the diversion of more than N800 million belonging to the financial institution.
The prosecution further stated that Eze concealed and transferred proceeds of the cyberattack through multiple bank accounts in different financial institutions.
The DSS Prosecuting Counsel, M. Bajela, told the court that the offences contravened Sections 5, 6(1) and 8 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2024, as well as Sections 10, 18(2)(d) and 20 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
However, the defendant pleaded not guilty to all the charges when they were read to him.
Following his plea, the prosecution asked the court to fix a date for trial and requested that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service pending the commencement of proceedings.
Counsel to the defendant, E. Afrogha, informed the court that a bail application had already been filed, adding that her client had been in DSS custody for more than one month.
The prosecution, however, opposed the application, stating that it had not been served with the bail documents, while informing the court that its witnesses were ready for trial.
After listening to both parties, Justice Ogazi adjourned the matter until August 24, for the hearing of the bail application and ordered that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service pending the determination of his bail request.
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