EFCC DOCKS SIX BANKERS OVER N12.6M FRAUD

San Francisco, April 20, (THEWILL) - The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, arraigned six former bankers at an Abuja High Court over a N12.6million fraud. The suspects: Lekan Olubade, Prince Ogbonna, Declan Agrinya, Shedrack Abubakar, Yomi Osotimehin and Ishola Oladimeji were brought before Justice Talba Mohammed of High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Gudu, Abuja for making fraudulent withdrawals from the accounts of six customers of a Micro Finance Bank. They all pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them.

Barrister Precious Okoro, counsel to Lekan Olubade and Prince Ogbonna, the first and second accused persons respectively, brought an oral application for bail and prayed the court to grant the accused persons bail on liberal grounds. He assured the court that since the accused persons were earlier granted an administrative bail by the EFCC without jumping bail, “they will make themselves available for trial any time they are needed.”

Joshua Saidi, Counsel to EFCC, however objected to this claim. He asked the court to discountenance the oral application for bail, stressing that the court needed more convincing claims and assurances that the accused persons would not jump bail. Ruling on the bail application, Justice Talba ordered the defence counsel to bring forward a formal bail application while the accused persons be remanded in Kuje prisons pending the resolution of the application. He also adjourned the case to June 1^st, 2009 for hearing on the bail application.

The fraudsters were until their arrest, staff of Fortis Micro Finance Bank Limited, Abuja. In February 2009, they fraudulently credited and withdrew the sum of N2, 525, 000.00 (Two Million Five hundred and Twenty Five thousand Naira only) from the account of one Umar Abubakar. In the same period in 2009, they also fraudulently credited and withdrew the sum of N3, 800,000.00 (Three Million Eight Hundred Thousand naira only) from the Fortis Micro Finance account of one Tunde Adeola.

In yet another illegal transaction, the fraudsters withdrew the sum of N1, 950,000.00 (One Million Nine Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira only) from the account of one Ngozi Obiliki also lodged in the Fortis Micro Finance.

Not done with their fraudulent activities, they also hacked into the account of one Bilikisu Ahmed with Fortis Micro Finance Bank and stole the sum of N2, 100,000.00(Two Million One Hundred Thousand naira only) The offence is punishable under section 287 of the Penal Code Law Cap 532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990.