Woman, firm sue bank for N5 billion over unauthorised disclosure to estranged husband

A woman and her company have sued First City Monument Bank (FCMB) for N5 billion, alleging that the bank disclosed a company’s account statement to her estranged husband, who allegedly used the information in the document to trace her to her new residence and assault her.

In a letter dated 8 July, FCMB admitted it shared the account statement without authorisation, apologised for the breach, and said it had disciplined the employee involved.

The claimants are First Tirad Global Resources Ltd and Funmilola Soyebo, the company’s director and majority shareholder.

In the court documents reviewed by PREMIUM TIMES, Mrs Soyebo and her company, asked the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, to hold the bank liable for the unauthorised disclosure and its alleged consequences.

How bank statement was disclosed

In its letter, FCMB said its investigation found that Hammed Adebayo, a co-director of First Tirad Global Resources Ltd, contacted a former account officer, Taofeeq Are, through WhatsApp to request the company’s statement covering 1 January to 8 April.

According to the bank, Mr Are subsequently contacted Olutunde Oyasola, a serving employee and account officer, for assistance with the request.

Mr Oyasola generated the statement and sent screenshots to Mr Are, who then forwarded them to Mr Adebayo through WhatsApp.

FCMB acknowledged that the disclosure violated its internal policies 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 letter stated.

The bank added that customer account information should not be disclosed to anyone without the necessary authority, regardless of the person’s relationship with the customer or a signatory to the account.

Company says co-director had no authority over account

In their statement of claim, the claimants said First Tirad Global Resources maintained a corporate account with FCMB, with Mrs Soyebo as its sole authorised signatory.

They argued that although Mr Adebayo was a co-director of the company, he had no signing authority over the account. They also stated that 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 part of their case.

Woman alleges statement exposed her new address

In her witness statement on oath filed in support of her suit, Mrs Soyebo said she had concealed her new 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 Mr Adebayo identify the estate where she had moved.

According to her account, he later traced her to the residence and assaulted her.

Mrs Soyebo revealed that the incident left her fearful for her safety and caused her anxiety, emotional distress and a loss of privacy.

The claimants argued that the disclosure exposed her to the danger she had sought to avoid by keeping her address secret.

They also alleged that the incident harmed the company’s interests by exposing it to internal disputes, reputational damage and commercial disadvantage, with possible consequences for investor confidence.

Statement allegedly used in separate court proceedings

The claimants further alleged that Mr Adebayo presented and relied on the disputed statement in separate court proceedings involving him and Mrs Soyebo.

They argued that this exposed her financial information to further disclosure and caused additional harm.

They want the court to declare that the subsequent use of the statement further injured their interests.

The documents made available for this report did not identify the court handling the separate proceedings or provide further details about the dispute.

What the claimants want

The claimants want the court to declare that FCMB unlawfully disclosed the company’s account statement and breached its contractual and statutory obligations.

They are also seeking a declaration that the disclosure of information that enabled Mrs Soyebo’s residence to be identified violated her right to privacy.

They want the bank held vicariously liable for the actions or omissions of its employees and an order directing it to take reasonable steps to prevent further unauthorised disclosure, distribution or use of the statement.

The claimants are demanding N5 billion in general, aggravated and/or exemplary damages for alleged breach of confidentiality, negligence, invasion of privacy and other contractual and statutory breaches.

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They are also seeking compensation for their alleged losses and the distress, anxiety and inconvenience they said they suffered, as well as the costs of the suit.

The court has yet to determine the claims or decide whether FCMB is liable for the alleged consequences of the disclosure.

FCMB awaits court filings

Responding to PREMIUM TIMES’ enquiry via email on Monday, the bank said it apologised to Mrs Soyebo’s
First Tirad Global Resources Limited after reviewing its complaint.

It said the bank statement was released to a director who was also a substantial shareholder and person with significant control in the company, but admitted that the disclosure failed to follow necessary procedure.

“On 29 June 2026, the Bank received a complaint from First Tirad Global Resources Limited (the ‘Complainant’), alleging the unauthorised disclosure of its account statement to a Director who is also a Person with Significant Control (PSC) and a substantial shareholder of the Company.

“Following its review, the Bank confirmed it had not followed the required authorisation protocol and formally apologised to the Customer,” the bank’s Corporate Affairs and Media Relations Manager, Rafiu Mohammed, stated in the statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES.

He explained that the company had since filed a suit against the bank, but FCMB was yet to receive the court papers formally.

“Once received, it will review the claims and determine an appropriate response,” he said.