A prosecution witness, Mr Ajayi Michael Folaseye, on Monday, told the Federal High Court in Lagos how he rejected a $7,000 bribe allegedly offered by a colleague seeking to illegally access Premium Trust Bank’s internal IT systems.

Ajayi, a staff member in the bank’s Information Technology department, testified before Justice Alexander Owoeye in the ongoing trial of Kehinde Odeyemi and Matthew Adeniyi Damilola, both employees of Premium Trust Bank.

They are being tried alongside three others, Samson Latshin Dakup, Bolaji Omotosho Yinka, and Sunday Badeniyi Okunola on a seven-count charge bordering on conspiracy to steal.

The case is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), leading the team.

Led in evidence, Ajayi recounted a covert approach made by the first defendant, Kehinde Odeyemi, on May 5, 2023, during office hours.

“She approached me and suggested we could earn some money through a side gig. She asked me for a generic IP address used in the IT department,” Ajayi told the court.

Ajayi explained that he informed her no such generic IP existed, as each staff member is assigned a unique IP address.

Undeterred, Odeyemi allegedly offered him $5,000, promising to have the cash delivered from the head office the same evening.

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When he again declined, the witness said, she raised the offer to $7,000, urging him to keep the conversation secret and threatening to resign if he reported her.

Recognising the seriousness of the request, Ajayi posited that he attempted to report the incident to his immediate supervisor, Mr Kenneth Nwaeze.

When Nwaeze was unavailable, the witness added, he escalated the matter to Mr Idriss Adegoke and eventually to the Head of IT, Mr Mike Koledoye.

Koledoye, Ajayi said, convened a crisis meeting on May 6, 2023, with all relevant parties to address the situation.

According to the witness, security protocols were tightened immediately after the meeting, and that on May 13, he, alongside two others were invited to the EFCC office to provide formal statements.

Ajayi further testified that the IP address requested by Odeyemi was a critical access point into the bank’s servers and database systems.

“It grants access to customer data and core banking operations. Sharing it could compromise the bank’s entire cybersecurity framework,” he said.

Ajayi emphasised that disclosing such information would breach the bank’s data protection policy and put customer funds at risk.

“My department warehouses all transaction data. A breach could lead to massive cyberattacks or erosion of customer trust,” he added.

When asked why he chose to report the incident despite being pressured to stay silent, Ajayi replied: “Given past breaches, the bank mandates us to report any suspicious conduct immediately. This could have been a trap or even a test of my integrity.”

The prosecution sought to tender Ajayi’s written statement to the EFCC as evidence. But the defence objected, citing illegibility.

However, Justice Owoeye overruled the objection, stating the defence could address such concerns during cross-examination.

Earlier in the proceedings, Adeleke Adepoju, counsel to the first defendant, applied for an adjournment, claiming inadequate access to prosecution materials and referencing Section 36(6) of the Constitution and Section 396 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.

Counsel for the second and fifth defendants, Olusola and A. Oliha, also objected, stating the proof of evidence was blurry and unreadable.

They argued this limited their ability to properly prepare.

However, EFCC counsel, Oyedepo (SAN), pushed back, stating that all documents were served on June 19, and any issues should have been raised before the agreed trial date.

“We served everything on time. If the defence had genuine concerns, they should have contacted us,” he argued.

Justice Owoeye dismissed the adjournment applications and ordered the prosecution to proceed with its first witness.

The matter was adjourned to July 18, 2025, for continuation.

It would be recalled that the EFCC had on May 20, 2025, arraigned the five defendants on a seven-count charge of conspiracy to steal, alleging they conspired between April and May 2025 to manipulate Premium Trust Bank’s server credentials in a bid to gain unauthorised access and steal funds.

“You, Kehinde Odeyemi, Samson Latshin Dakup, Bolaji Omotosho Yinka, Sunday Badeniyi Okunola, and Matthew Adeniyi Damilola, along with others now at large, conspired to manipulate Premium Trust Bank’s domain credentials and gain access to its database to steal funds,” reads part of the charge.

The EFCC noted that the offence violated Sections 27 and 28(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024), and is punishable under Section 28(2).