Abstract A bank's efficiency and sustainability over the long term require strong internal controls and a clear strategic direction, both of which can be validated by a thorough audit performed by the bank's corporate parent. This study used an ex-post facto design, analyzing secondary data to predict current trends and investigates how audit independence affects financial performance. Secondary data was obtained from annual reports of the listed deposit money banks that were listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange as of December 31, 2016. The data were examined using descriptive and inferential statistics (Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Regression). According to the findings, the coefficient of correlation (r) = 0.718 showed a positive relationship between financial performance and audit independence. As a result, more audit independence leads to better financial performance, and vice versa. There is a significant and positive correlation between financial performance and audit independence. The study gives management of listed deposit money banks with the strategic insight they need to make evidence-based decisions about audit independence and the resulting financial performance. Keywords: Audit independence, Financial performance, Management, Deposit money banks