Suspected Hacker Caught Hiding in FCMB Ceiling After Alleged Break-In Attempt

A suspected hacker was apprehended on Monday, July 1, after he was found hiding in the ceiling of a First City Monument Bank (FCMB) branch, following an alleged attempt to breach the bank’s internal systems.

The incident reportedly took place at an undisclosed FCMB branch on Sunday, June 30. According to a staff member who spoke under anonymity, the man entered the bank during normal working hours pretending to be a customer. Instead of conducting any transaction, he made his way to the restroom, where he allegedly locked himself in and climbed into the ceiling to hide until the close of business.

“He waited until all staff had closed for the day,” the source said. “Then he came down and attempted to hack into the bank’s systems. He also locked himself inside the premises.”

His plan, however, unraveled the next morning when bank staff arrived to find the main entrance locked from the inside. Alarmed by the unusual situation, they forced the door open and were stunned to discover the intruder still hiding in the ceiling panels.

Another staff member said that when computers were turned on, a suspicious prompt appeared across the systems, displaying: “Restarting, click OK to accept.” The message raised suspicions that the intruder may have tampered with or attempted to install malware in the bank’s internal network.

Security personnel and officers of the Nigerian Police Force were swiftly called to the scene. In a video circulating online, the suspect is seen being pulled down from the ceiling and subsequently receiving physical assault from those present, including some uniformed officers.

While FCMB is yet to issue an official statement on the matter, sources within the bank confirmed that no customer funds were compromised and that the integrity of sensitive data appears intact. A formal investigation is now underway to determine the full extent of the breach attempt and the suspect’s motives.

This incident comes just years after FCMB suffered one of Nigeria’s biggest cyberattacks. In 2020, reports emerged of a N900 million digital theft involving hackers who allegedly installed surveillance software on FCMB’s systems and studied employee operations for months. The EFCC prosecuted several suspects in that case, which exposed serious vulnerabilities in Nigeria’s banking cybersecurity landscape.