By Barnabas Esiet.
A senior manager with First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nnedimma Arah, has been arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged forgery linked to a foreign exchange transaction.
Arah was brought before the court by police detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti-Yaba, on a one-count amended charge bordering on forgery.
At Monday’s proceedings, the prosecution, led by Barrister Emmanuel Eze, informed the court of a motion seeking to strike out the name of the second defendant, Temitope Ogheneteme, following legal advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
The presiding judge, Daniel Osiagor, granted the application and struck out Ogheneteme’s name, leaving Arah, an Associate Chartered Accountant and branch manager of the bank’s Dosunmu office on Lagos Island, as the sole defendant in the case.
According to the amended charge dated March 30, 2026, Arah is accused of forging a letter of undertaking allegedly issued by Freshborn Industries Limited to cover foreign exchange differentials. The alleged offence was said to have occurred between January 2023 and January 2024.
The prosecution alleged that the document was forged with intent to present it as genuine, thereby prejudicing Freshborn Industries Nigeria Limited and its representatives, Anene Ikenna and Anene Chinyere Angela. The offence is punishable under the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
Arah pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Following her plea, defence counsel applied for bail, noting that the defendant had earlier been granted administrative bail and had consistently attended proceedings.
Justice Osiagor subsequently granted bail in the sum of N5 million with one surety in like sum.
The case had earlier been delayed after the DPP intervened and requested the case file from the police for review, in line with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, following a petition by the bank.
In its petition to the Attorney-General of the Federation, FirstBank argued that the matter stemmed from a $400,000 credit facility granted to Freshborn Industries Limited and is already the subject of a pending civil suit before a Lagos State High Court. The bank maintained that the criminal proceedings amount to an abuse of court process.
The court adjourned the case to July 14 and 15, 2026, for the commencement of trial.
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