A customer has sued First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Ltd for N5 billion over the alleged unauthorised disclosure of a company’s bank statement to a third party, accusing the bank of breaching its duty of confidentiality and exposing sensitive financial and personal information.
In a Writ of Summons filed by the Claimants’ Counsel, Oluchi Vivian Uche, Esq., Okueyelegbe Sylvanus Maliki, Esq., and others, the firm is seeking redress over the alleged breach of account confidentiality, reports Saturday Guardian.
The suit was instituted by First Tirad Global Resources Ltd and its majority shareholder before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The Claimants accused the bank of breaching its duty of confidentiality by allegedly releasing the company’s account statement to a third party who had no authority or mandate to access the account or obtain its financial records.
In the suit, marked FCT/HC/NY/255/2026, the Claimants alleged that the disclosure compromised confidential financial and commercial information belonging to the company and exposed sensitive information contained in its account statement.
The allegations are contained in the Writ of Summons, Statement of Claim and Witness Statement on Oath filed before the court.
According to the statement of claim, First Tirad Company maintained a corporate account with FCMB, with the 2nd Claimant listed as the sole authorised signatory.
The Claimants alleged that the third party who obtained the statement had no authority or mandate to access the account or obtain its statement through the bank.
They further maintained that the disclosure was carried out without their knowledge, consent or authorisation and outside the bank’s approved procedures for protecting customers’ confidential financial information.
According to the Claimants, on April 8, 2026, the third party contacted a former FCMB account officer, identified as Taofeeq Are, through WhatsApp, requesting the company’s account statement covering January 1 to April 8, 2026.
The Claimants alleged that Are subsequently contacted by a serving FCMB account officer, identified as Olutunde Oyasola, who generated the statement and sent screenshots to him.
The screenshots were allegedly forwarded to the third party through WhatsApp.
The Claimants contended that the transaction was unauthorised and constituted a breach of the bank’s duty to safeguard the confidentiality of its customers’ financial and commercial information.
The 2nd Claimant specifically alleged that the statement contained sensitive information, including details of a rent payment, which compromised her residential address and exposed her personal information.
She further maintained that the disclosure exposed the company’s confidential financial and commercial affairs to an unauthorised third party.
The Claimants said the disclosure compromised the confidentiality of the company’s financial records, while the 2nd Claimant maintained that the exposure of her residential address constituted an invasion of her privacy and raised concerns about the security of her personal information.
The Claimants said they subsequently lodged a complaint with FCMB, demanding an investigation into how the statement was obtained and disclosed to an unauthorised third party.
They alleged that the bank, in a letter dated July 8, 2026, admitted that the disclosure was “wholly unauthorised” and inconsistent with its internal policies, data protection obligations and ethical standards.
The Claimants further alleged that FCMB acknowledged in the letter that Oyasola had generated the statement and shared screenshots with Are, who subsequently forwarded them to the third party.
Relying on the alleged admission, the Claimants are asking the court to declare that the disclosure was unlawful and constituted a breach of the bank’s duty of confidentiality to First Tirad Global Resources Ltd.
They are also seeking a declaration that the unauthorised disclosure of confidential information relating to the company and the 2nd Claimant’s personal affairs violated applicable privacy and data protection obligations.
In addition, the Claimants want the court to hold FCMB liable for negligence and the acts or omissions of its employees in connection with the alleged disclosure.
They are demanding N5 billion in general, aggravated and/or exemplary damages for alleged unauthorised disclosure, breach of confidentiality, negligence, breach of contractual and statutory obligations, invasion of privacy, and the consequential losses and business exposure they claim to have suffered.
The Claimants are also seeking an order restraining further disclosure, dissemination or use of the disputed account statement, alongside an order directing the bank to pay the cost of the action.
They further want the court to declare that the subsequent exhibition and reliance on the disputed bank statement in court proceedings caused additional prejudice and injury to their interests.
The claims remain allegations before the court, and the court is yet to determine the matter.
FCMB is yet to file a response to the allegations as at the time of the report.
