A woman and her company have taken First City Monument Bank (FCMB) to court for N5 billion. They claim the bank shared a company account statement with her estranged husband. The husband allegedly used this information to find her new home and attack her.
In a letter dated 8 July, FCMB admitted it shared the account statement without permission. The bank apologized for the mistake and said it had taken action against the employee involved.
The claimants are First Tirad Global Resources Ltd and Funmilola Soyebo, who is the company's director and majority shareholder.
In court documents seen by PREMIUM TIMES, Mrs Soyebo and her company asked the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja to hold the bank responsible for the unauthorized disclosure and its effects.
How the Statement Was Shared
In its letter, FCMB said it found out that Hammed Adebayo, a co-director at First Tirad Global Resources Ltd, contacted a former account officer, Taofeeq Are, on WhatsApp. He asked for the company’s statement covering the period from 1 January to 8 April.
According to the bank, Mr Are then reached out to Olutunde Oyasola, a current employee and account officer, for help with the request. Mr Oyasola prepared the statement and sent screenshots to Mr Are, who then forwarded them to Mr Adebayo via WhatsApp.
FCMB acknowledged that this act broke its internal policies and data protection rules. “The Bank acknowledges that this disclosure was wholly unauthorized and inconsistent with its internal policies, data protection obligations and established ethical standards,” the letter stated.
The bank emphasized that customer account information should not be shared without proper authority, no matter the relationship with the customer or if the person is a signatory to the account.
Claimants Say Co-director Lacked Authority
In their statement, the claimants mentioned that First Tirad Global Resources had an account with FCMB, with Mrs Soyebo as the only authorized signatory. They said that even though Mr Adebayo was a co-director, he did not have signing authority for the account. They also noted that there was no board resolution allowing him to get the statement.
The claimants insisted they did not know about or agree to the disclosure. They are relying on the bank's letter and screenshots of the account statement as evidence in their case.
Woman Claims Statement Revealed Her New Address
In her sworn statement supporting her lawsuit, Mrs Soyebo said she hid her new address from her estranged husband due to threats he made against her life. She claimed that a rent payment shown in the company’s account statement helped Mr Adebayo find out where she had moved.
According to her, he later tracked her down and assaulted her. Mrs Soyebo said this incident left her scared for her safety and caused her anxiety, emotional distress, and loss of privacy.
The claimants argued that the disclosure put her in danger, which she was trying to avoid by keeping her address secret. They also said the incident harmed the company's interests by causing internal disputes, damaging its reputation, and affecting investor confidence.
Statement Used in Other Court Case
The claimants also said Mr Adebayo used the disputed statement in another court case involving him and Mrs Soyebo. They argued that this further exposed her financial information and caused more damage.
They want the court to rule that the later use of the statement caused more harm to their interests. The documents reviewed did not specify the court handling the other case or provide more details about it.
What the Claimants Seek
The claimants want the court to declare that FCMB unlawfully shared the account statement and breached its legal obligations. They also want a declaration that sharing information that helped identify Mrs Soyebo’s home violated her right to privacy.
They want the bank held responsible for the actions of its employees and an order for the bank to take steps to prevent further unauthorized disclosures. The claimants are asking for N5 billion in damages for breach of confidentiality, negligence, invasion of privacy, and other violations.
They are also seeking compensation for their losses and the distress, anxiety, and inconvenience they experienced, plus the costs of the lawsuit. The court has not yet decided on the claims or whether FCMB is liable for the consequences of the disclosure.
FCMB Responds
In response to PREMIUM TIMES’ inquiry on Monday, the bank said it apologized to Mrs Soyebo’s First Tirad Global Resources Limited after reviewing the complaint. It noted that the bank statement was shared with a director who is also a substantial shareholder of the company, but admitted it did not follow the right procedures.
“On 29 June 2026, the Bank received a complaint from First Tirad Global Resources Limited (the ‘Complainant’), alleging the unauthorized 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 authorization protocol and formally apologized to the Customer,” the bank’s Corporate Affairs and Media Relations Manager, Rafiu Mohammed, said in a statement.
He added that the company had filed a suit against the bank, but FCMB had not yet received the court papers formally. “Once received, it will review the claims and determine an appropriate response,” he said.
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