A woman and her company, First Tirad Global Resources Ltd, have sued First City Monument Bank (FCMB), demanding ₦5 billion in damages over the alleged unauthorised disclosure of the company’s account statement to her estranged husband.
The claimants alleged that the disclosure exposed the woman’s new residential address, enabling her estranged husband to trace her to the property and assault her.
In a letter dated July 8, FCMB reportedly admitted that the account statement was disclosed without proper authorisation, apologised for the breach and said disciplinary action had been taken against the employee involved.
The suit was filed at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja by Funmilola Soyebo, the company’s director and majority shareholder, alongside the company.
They are asking the court to hold the bank liable for the alleged breach of confidentiality, invasion of privacy and the consequences they say followed the disclosure.
How the account statement was allegedly leaked
According to FCMB’s correspondence cited in court documents reviewed by Premium Times, Hammed Adebayo, a co-director of First Tirad Global Resources, contacted a former account officer, Taofeeq Are, through WhatsApp to request the company’s account statement covering January 1 to April 8.
Are subsequently contacted a serving account officer, Olutunde Oyasola, for assistance.
The bank said Oyasola generated the statement, sent screenshots to Are, who then forwarded them to Adebayo through WhatsApp.
FCMB acknowledged that the disclosure breached its internal procedures and data protection obligations.
“The Bank acknowledges that this disclosure was wholly unauthorised and inconsistent with its internal policies, data protection obligations and established ethical standards,” the bank stated in its letter.
The bank also said customer account information should not be released without the necessary authority, regardless of the recipient’s relationship with the customer or a signatory to the account.
In their statement of claim, the claimants said First Tirad Global Resources maintained a corporate account with FCMB, with Soyebo as its sole authorised signatory.
They argued that although Adebayo was a co-director, he did not have signing authority over the account. They also said there was no board resolution authorising him to obtain the statement.
The claimants maintained that they neither knew about nor consented to the disclosure.
They are relying on the bank’s correspondence and screenshots of the account statement as evidence in the case.
In her witness statement, Soyebo said she had kept her new residential address from her estranged husband because of threats he had allegedly made against her life.
She alleged that a rent payment recorded in the company’s account statement provided information that helped Adebayo identify the estate where she lived.
According to her account, he later traced her to the residence and assaulted her.
Soyebo said the incident left her fearful for her safety and caused anxiety, emotional distress and a loss of privacy.
The claimants argued that the disclosure exposed her to the very danger she had tried to avoid by concealing her address.
They also alleged that the incident harmed the company by exposing it to internal disputes, reputational damage and commercial disadvantages that could affect investor confidence.
These allegations are yet to be determined by the court.
The claimants further alleged that Adebayo presented and relied on the disputed account statement in separate court proceedings involving him and Soyebo.
They argued that this exposed her financial information to further disclosure and caused additional harm.
However, the court documents reviewed for the report did not identify the court handling the separate proceedings or provide further details about the dispute.
Soyebo and her company want the court to declare that FCMB unlawfully disclosed the account statement and breached its contractual and statutory obligations.
They are also seeking a declaration that the disclosure of information that allegedly enabled Soyebo’s residence to be identified violated her right to privacy.
The claimants want the bank held vicariously liable for the actions or omissions of its employees. They are also asking the court to order FCMB to take reasonable steps to prevent further unauthorised disclosure, distribution or use of the statement.
Their ₦5 billion demand covers general, aggravated and/or exemplary damages for alleged breach of confidentiality, negligence, invasion of privacy and other contractual and statutory violations.
They are also seeking compensation for their alleged losses, emotional distress and inconvenience, alongside the cost of the suit.
The court has yet to determine the claims or establish whether FCMB is liable for the alleged consequences of the disclosure.
In a response to Premium Times, FCMB said it received a complaint from First Tirad Global Resources on June 29, 2026, concerning the alleged unauthorised disclosure of its account statement.
The bank’s Corporate Affairs and Media Relations Manager, Rafiu Mohammed, said an internal review confirmed that the required authorisation procedure had not been followed.
FCMB said it formally apologised to the customer after reviewing the complaint.
Mohammed added that the company had filed a suit against the bank, but FCMB had not yet been formally served with the court papers.
He said the bank would review the claims and determine its response once it received.
