Police prosecutors from the Lagos State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) have arraigned Nnedimma Arah, a senior manager at First Bank Limited, before the Federal High Court, Lagos, over allegations of forgery.
Before Nnedimma’s arraignment, the detectives had filed a three-count charge against her and one Temitope Ogheneteme, based on advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
But during the proceedings, Emmanuel Eze, Police prosecutor, urged the court to remove Temitope Ogheneteme’s name from the charge, citing the DPP’s legal advice.
Justice Daniel Osiagor, trial judge, granted this request, and Ogheneteme was discharged.
This amendment left Arah, who is the branch manager of Dosumu, Lagos Island, and an Associate Chartered Accountant (ACA), as the sole defendant in Charge No. FHC/L/582C/2025.
Arah was accused of forging a letter of undertaking, supposedly issued by Freshborn Industries Limited on August 12, 2022, to cover foreign exchange differences.
Eze claimed that the alleged forgery occurred from January 2023 to January 2024 at the Dosunmu Branch.
He claimed that the document was forged with the intent to deceive, harming Freshborn Industries Nigeria Limited and its representatives, Anene Ikenna and Anene Chinyere Angela.
The prosecutor further maintained that the offence is punishable under Section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Her defence requested bail, noting she had previously been on administrative bail and had attended court proceedings diligently.
Justice Osiagor granted her bail in the sum of N5 million with one surety in like sum.
The case’s progress was delayed earlier because the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) was reviewing the case file after a petition from First Bank.
In a letter dated January 26, 2026, the DPP asked the police to review the case under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
The bank’s petition to the Attorney-General stated that the dispute involved a $400,000 credit facility to Freshborn Industries Limited, which is also pending in a civil suit before the Lagos State High Court.
The bank argued that the criminal charges stem from a commercial dispute and warned that this could constitute an abuse of the legal process.
The judge has fixed the trial for July 14 and 15, 2026.
