Gbenro Adesina
The Ibadan Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has arraigned an ex-banker, Amusa Aminat Odunmide, before Justice Uche Agomo of the Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan on an eight count charge, bordering on forgery, defrauding and stealing to the tune of N3,200,000.
Luck ran out on the 30 year-old ex-staff of a new generation bank when the Commission received a petition alleging fraudulent withdrawal of over N3million from a customer’s account by the defendant.
One of the charges read: “That you Amusa Aminat Odunmide ‘F’, between the 16th day of April 2018 and 6th of July 2018, in your position as a Bank officer of Fidelity Bank and in your responsibility as the Account officer to Azeez Ibrahim Alao, in Ibadan within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently stole a total sum of Two Million, Thirty-Three Thousand, Three Hundred and Sixty Naira (N2,033,360:00)being money you stole directly from the personal account of the said Azeez Ibrahim Alao and deposited same into Fidelity Bank Account No. 6590137413 and Account No. 0020919795, from whence you utilized the said money and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 390(9) of the Criminal Code Cap C38 Laws of the Federal of Nigeria (Revised Edition) 2007, when read along with section 1(1) (d) of the Failed Bank (Recovery of Debts) and Financial Malpractice in Bank Cap F2 Laws of Federation of Nigeria (Revised Edition) 2007”.
Following her plea of not guilty to the charge, the prosecuting counsel, Chidi Okoli, asked the court to fix a date for trial, and remand her in the Nigerian Correctional Service’s custody.
In a related development, the commission secured the conviction of one Ajanaku Qudus Akorede alias Rachel Kate before Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo of the Federal High Court, Abeokuta.
His conviction was based on a one-count amended charge of fraudulent impersonation, contrary to Section 22 (2) and punishable under Section 22 (2)(b)(iv) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention Etc) Act, 2015.
Ajanaku was jailed for one month and he was ordered to restitute his victim of the money he fraudulently obtained.
He is also to forfeit all the items recovered from him, to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
