*SunTrust Bank Battles To Recover N800m Allegedly Lost To Hackers As DSS Arraigns Suspect*

SunTrust Bank Plc is battling to recover over N800 million allegedly lost to hackers following a breach of its server between 2023 and 2026.

Operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, on Monday arraigned a 47-year-old man, Ugochukwu Eze, before a Federal High Court in Lagos over the alleged cybercrime.

Eze, also known as “Amazon”, was arraigned before Justice Friday Ogazi on charges of hacking into SunTrust Bank’s server and fraudulently diverting over N800 million into several accounts.

DSS counsel, M. Bajela, Esq, told the court that the defendant and others currently at large, between 2023 and 2026, conspired to unlawfully hinder the functions of SunTrust Bank’s computer system and diverted over N800 million belonging to the bank.

The prosecutor further alleged that the defendant concealed and transferred various sums of money traced to the unlawful cyber-attacks on some financial institutions, and caused unauthorised access to critical national financial information infrastructure.

According to the charge, the offences contravene Sections 5, 6(1) and 8 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2024, and Sections 10, 20 and 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Following his plea, the prosecutor asked for a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendant pending the determination of the case.

However, the defence counsel, E. Afrogha, informed the court that a bail application had been filed and that the defendant had been in DSS custody for over a month.

The prosecutor said he had not been served with the bail application but confirmed that his witnesses were available.

In a brief ruling, Justice Ogazi adjourned the matter to August 24, 2026 for hearing of the bail application and ordered that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS.

One of the counts read: “That you, Ugochukwu Eze (aka Amazon) (M), 47 years, sometime between 2023 and 2026 in Lagos and other places within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, unlawfully and seriously hindered the function of SunTrust Bank Plc’s computer system, and in the process fraudulently diverted the sum of N800,000,000.00 (Eight Hundred Million Naira) belonging to the said SunTrust Bank Plc, thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 8 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2024.”