The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Bank Manager

  • Bank manager arraigned for alleged N411m fraud

    The Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU) yesterday arraigned an Ecobank Plc manager, Ifeanyichukwu Azike, for allegedly defrauding a customer of N411 million.

    Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos ordered his remand pending hearing of his bail motion.

    He was charged with three counts of obtaining money by false pretence, false representation and fraud.

    The prosecution said Azike, sometime in 2016 and 2017, with intent to defraud, obtained N150million from a customer, Mr. Okafor Ikenna Kelvin, whose account number is 533010936.

    The defendant allegedly claimed that he would purchase treasury bills for him, a claim he knew to be false.

    SFU said Azike forged a signature, a photograph and a letter of instruction to open a parallel account in Kelvin’s name, numbered 5333063028, with intent that it may be used as genuine to the prejudice of Kelvin and the bank.

    In the third count, the prosecution said the defendant “did fraudulently convert to your use the sum of N411,000,000, being money fraudulently withdrawn from your employer without their consent, and from a customer of your bank, to invest on behalf of the customer, which you failed to deliver, with aim of converting the illicit origin of the resources.”

    The defendant pleaded not guilty.

    Justice Faji adjourned till March 8.

  • DSS arraigns alleged kidnapper of bank manager

    DSS arraigns alleged kidnapper of bank manager

    The Department of State Services (DSS) yesterday arraigned the leader of a vigilance group, Emeke Agbabere, at a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for allegedly kidnapping a banker.

    Agbabere, the secretary of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government  Security, Peace and Advisory Committee, is facing a two-count charge of conspiracy as well as kidnapping and illegal detention.

    The prosecuting counsel, Mr. Calistus Eze, told the court that the accused conspired with others at large to lure, kidnap and illegally detain Johnson Oyedokun, the branch manager of Unity Bank at Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government on February 26.

    He alleged that the accused with others at large conspired to lure and kidnap Oyedokun without the victim’s consent.

    Eze alleged that Agbabere, after luring and kidnapping Oyedokun, held him inside his illegal detention cell.

    “Agbabere demanded that Oyedokun should disclose privileged official information to secure his release.

    “This is an offence punishable under Section 1(1)(2)(b) of the Rivers State Kidnap Prohibition (Amendment Law) 2015,”  he said.

    The Chief Magistrate, Anthony Amadi-Nna, after listening to the prosecution counsel, directed that the case file be sent to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution to obtain legal advice.

    He ordered that the accused be remanded in Port Harcourt Maximum Prison, while adjourning the case indefinitely till the receipt of legal advice.

  • Bank manager remanded in prison for N24m ‘fraud’

    Bank manager remanded in prison for N24m ‘fraud’

    The police Special Fraud Unit (SFU) yesterday arraigned a former Diamond Bank Plc branch manager, Chinedu Oguike, at the Federal High Court in Lagos for alleged N24 million fraud.

    He was charged with three counts of conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence and advanced fee fraud.

    The defendant, who managed the bank’s Oyingbo, Ebute-Meta, Lagos branch, was accused of obtaining the money from Ufomba Nnabugwu after promising to deliver a property in the Ijegun Egba area of Lagos to him.

    Police prosecutor, Effiong Asuquo, said Oguike committed the alleged offence in 2014, adding that it contravenes Section 8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006.

    Oguike was also accused of preparing phony loan facility documents for himself.

    He was said to have used the name of Edwin Ezeakachukwu and the Ijegun Egba property as collateral, to the victim’s detriment.

    The defendant pleaded not guilty.

    Defence counsel, John Itodo, applied for his bail, adding that the case had been pending at the magistrate’s court for two years.

    He said: “We were at the magistrate court this morning for continuation of hearing when the prosecutor said they were withdrawing the case to re-file it at the Federal High Court. When we got outside, he just said we should proceed to the Federal High Court right away, and we didn’t have any objection about that.”

    He added that the accused had been on bail and did not violate the administrative bail granted him by the police.

    Asuquo opposed the application on the basis that the defendant did not file a proper motion for bail.

    Justice Abdulazeez Anka ordered that Oguike be remanded in prison until his bail application is considered.

    He adjourned until October 6 for trial.

  • Bank manager fingered in stolen funds under Suswam

    Bank manager fingered in stolen funds under Suswam

    The Justice Kpojime Judicial Commission of Inquiry has directed a Former Branch Manager of Guarantee Trust Bank PLC Makurdi Miss Aguma Uloko to furnish members of the Commission with details of what she did with the N7 million she collected cash from officials of the Ministry of Finance in August last year latest Tuesday this week.

    Chairman of the Commission, Justice Elizabeth Kpojime gave the directive during the testimony of the former bank Manager who admitted that out of N168.6 million naira collected, only seventy million naira was actually signed and collected from Ministry of Finance officials.

    Members of the Commission confronted the witness with records showing that on the 11th of August last year, one Abel Musa, a staff of Guarantee Trust Bank signed and collected N16 million cash on Miss Uloko’s behalf.

    Also, on the 7th of August last year, the same staff Abel Musa signed and collected N8 million while on September 3 last year, records showed that the branch manager signed and collected N118.8 million from the Ministry of Finance officials for lodgment in the Ministry’s account with the bank.

    Miss Uloko however insisted that she signed acknowledgement for receipt of only N70 million naira which she failed to show to the Commission or any record where she deposited the money and asked for more time to do so.

    The witness further explained that she resigned from the Bank on the 4th of May last year after 10 years of service, saying any staff who claimed to have collected money on her behalf was lying.

    She however admitted that she used to visit the Ministry of Finance to collect cash for deposit at the Bank and also managed the accounts of former Finance Commissioner and other Senior Staff.

    Our correspondent reports that the witness was accompanied to the commission by a counsel to defend her.

  • Bank manager dumps job for kids’events

    Bank manager dumps job for kids’events

    One year after voluntarily resigning from a leading first generation bank, Madina Sanusi made a foray into kids’ events management. She shares the story of her transition from the financial sector to catering for kids with Assistant Editor Dada Aladelokun.

    For over 12 years, Madina Sanusi remained an exemplary treasure to First Bank of Nigeria Plc. In the various branches where she handled banking and finance, especially in Lagos, she distinguished herself as a quintessence of hard work, industry and goal-getting.

    Joining the frontline bank as a graduate trainee after earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Masters in the same field (specialising in Marketing) at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Madina rose through the ranks to become an Assistant Manager, a post she held between 2010 and 2014.

    Sources from the bank’s branches where she served disclosed that she was a rare breed of a workaholic as she remained implacably committed to her duties. At a point, she got a letter of commendation from the bank’s Group Managing Director, Mr Stephen Onasanya. Not a few, it was gathered, thought she had her eyes on the topmost position in the bank as a career staff. But they were dead wrong!

    While she donned the toga of a Trojan horse in the process of earning her pay, she jealously harboured a burning passion in her mind: To actualise a long-nursed dream of breaking new grounds to take her destiny into her hands!

    However, who is that adventurous person that would dump a lucrative job and take a risky plunge into an uncertain terrain – thick darkness of sorts? This poser remained a dagger in the heart of Madina until she summoned the courage to say final bye to the job that put sumptuous meals on her table for over 12 years!

    Her colleagues’ jaws dropped in utter shock when in May 2014, she did the unbelievable. She dropped her resignation letter and walked away. Wasting no time, she joined the world of event management by establishing what is known today as Sanus Kiddies, a flourishing event entertaining outfit for kids, based in Ilupeju, Lagos.

    Explaining her transition into the private venture, Madina, who is in her early 40s, told The Nation: “My belief is that whatever you vividly imagine, sincerely believe in and enthusiastically act upon must inevitably come to pass. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong and there are always difficulties which tempt you to want to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage. My longing for greater challenges and the zeal to follow my heart/passion caused me to resign from the banking world where I excelled.”

    When asked if it was an easy decision, Madina drew a guttural breath and said: “I had wanted to leave but the fear of the unknown held me down. But one day, I just took the leap of faith and resigned; today it is history with no regrets!”

    But how rosy has it been in your new business world? “I encountered roadblocks being a newcomer into the event management world without any training, but the passion I had for the job kept me going. Today, I thank God for following my heart and daring to hop from the world of the known to the unknown,” she explained.

    She reflected further: “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. One must always remember that one has within him the strength, patience and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. I chose to be hardworking, determined and focused on delivering results. Since my days in First Bank, expertise and competence are non-negotiable ingredients for success in this highly competitive world. I was a change agent and brand champion for the bank. These are parts of what prepared me for my today. And I believe that when you have a dream that you can’t let go, trust your instincts and pursue it. But always remember that real dreams demands work, patience and sometimes, they require you to dig very deep. Be sure you are willing to do that. These constitute my driving force.

    Are you among those that are still in the grip of indecision regarding your passion or interest, Madina, mother of a practising lawyer son has this for you: “Resist your fear; fear will never lead to you a positive end. Go for your faith and what you believe in. I am a goal-getter who never believes in the word “impossible.” To me, it is an anathema.”

  • Alleged N30m theft: Bank manager, court officials get bail

    Alleged N30m theft: Bank manager, court officials get bail

    Justice Bello Kawu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has granted bail to a Manager with Keystone Bank Plc , Mrs Edna Akpan and two officials of the court held over their alleged involvement in fraud resulting in the theft of about N30million belonging to an ex-Senator, the late Amasike Iwuagwu.

    The late Iwuagwu represented Owerri Senatorial Zone at the Senate before his death in 2005. He was once a Policy Adviser to former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (1998-1999).

    Mrs Akpan of Keystone Bank, Wuse 2 branch, Abuja, Luke Oko of  the Probate Unit of the FCT High Court, Mathew Ekele  of the court’s Process Unit and  Onyekachi Guy Ochiagha  a staff of First Bank Plc, (but now said to be at large) allegedly manipulated the court’s  probate procedure (with Mrs Akpan and Ochiagha posing as wife and son of the late Senator Amasike Iwuagwu) to claim N27,240,870.13, which was the outstanding balance in the Senator’s account  with Keystone Bank before his death.

    They were arraigned on March 25 before Justice Kawu at the FCT High Court, Kubwa on a three-count charge marked: CR/111/2015 and dated January 26, 2015, prepared and being prosecuted by Johnson Ojogbane. They pleaded not guilty to the charge.

    Mrs Akpan, Oko and Ekele were charged in counts one and two, with conspiracy and obtaining under false pretence, offences contrary to the provisions of Sections 1(1) and 8(a), and punishable under  Section 1(3)of the Advance Fee Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.

    Oko was charged alone in count three with the destruction of evidence, which ought to have aided the court, offence punishable under Section166 of the Penal Code, Cap 89 Laws of Northern Nigeria, 1963.

    They were in count one accused of conspiring to obtain money under false pretence. In count two, there were said to have obtained N27,240,870.13 “from the FCT High Court Probate Division under false pretence that Edna Akpan was Janet Iwuagwu and Guy Ochiagha (now at large) was Izuchukwu Iwuagwu, the widow and son of the late Senator Amasike Iwuagwu, which pretence you knew to be false.”

    In count three, Oko was said to have “destroyed the entire file and all documents filed by Edna Akpan (alias Janet Iwuagwu) and Guy Ochiagha (alias Izuchukwu Iwuagwu) in the fraudulent application for Letters of Administration made to the High Court of the FCT Probate Division, which you may lawfully be compelled to produce as evidence in court, with the intent of preventing the same from being produced or used as evidence before the court.”

    On March 27, defence lawyers, including Sunday Ameh, (SAN) (for Mrs Akpan) and Sunday Essienekak (for Ekele) argued the accused persons’ bail application, which Justice Kawu granted conditionally. The judge granted each of the accused bail at N1m and one surety in like sum. He said such surety must have a landed property within the court’s jurisdiction.

  • Bloody day in Owo as robbers kill bank manager, others

    Three months after armed robbers unleashed terror on Ikare-Akoko in Ondo State killing no fewer than 20 persons during a bank robbery, another major town in the state has  by men of the underworld.

    A seven-member armed robbery gang struck in the ancient town of Owo last Thursday raiding four commercial banks and carting away an unspecified large amount of money. They also killed many people.

    Among the victims were a bank manager and his deputy who were felled by the robbers’ bullets.

    The dare devil armed robbers reportedly used dynamite to shatter the security doors to penetrate the banks to perpetrate their dastardly act.

    It was learnt that the branch manager of a first generation bank in the town and his assistant were killed during the robbery operation.

    Eye witness said the two officials failed to “co-operate” with the robbers when they stormed their bank.

    The robbers, according to findings seized the town at about 4.00pm and shot sporadically into the air till they got to the heart of the town where they robbed the commercial banks.

    Findings also revealed that the armed robbers carted away an undisclosed amount of money from the banks, while many workers sustained injuries.

    It was also gathered from unconfirmed sources that some residents of the town were shot dead, while others sustained serious injuries.

    The incident however caused pandemonium in the town as many residents who read political meanings to the incident protested round the town after the incident.

    A source alleged that the Police officers who witnessed the robbery did not challenge the armed robbers while the operation lasted.

    A resident of the town who spoke on condition of anonymity hinted that the armed robbers entered the town through the Owo-Abuja highway and moved straight to the heart of the town

    where major commercial banks are located.

    It was gathered that the armed robbers escaped arrest despite the presence of Police officers at the scene of the incident.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ondo State Police command, Mr Wole Ogodo who confirmed the incident said policemen had been deployed to the town to enforce orderliness.

    While condemning the incident, some residents of the town blamed the police for shying away from their responsibilities in resisting the robbers.

  • EFCC arraigns bank manager for N245m scam

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arraigned a former Oceanic Bank Plc’s branch manager, Usman Salifu, before Justice Dije Aboki of the Kano State High Court, Kano on a 12-count charge of theft and misappropriation of about N245 million.

    According to a statement by the commission’s Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, the manager of Oceanic Bank Plc (now EcoBank Plc) allegedly forged signatures and withdrew N245million from the fixed deposit account of a customer, Yusuf Saleh Dunari.

    Some of the charges read: “That you Usman Salifu on or about December 29, 2009 in Kano within the Judicial Division of the High Court of Justice Kano State while being an officer of Oceanic Bank Plc (now Eco Bank plc) committed theft by stealing the sum of N30 million from the Oceanic Bank fixed deposit account of Yusuf Saleh Dunari and that you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 289 of the Penal Code.

    “That you Usman Salifu on or about December 9, 2010 in Kano within the Judicial Division of the High Court of Justice Kano State with intent to defraud, forged a signature of Hadiza Abdullahi on Oceanic Bank Plc (now Eco Bank plc) fixed deposit investment certificate dated December 4, 2010 for the sum of N40m and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 362 and punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code.”

    The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    The prosecuting counsel, Ibrahim Ahmed, requested for a date for trial.

    The EFCC also arraigned Emmanuel Akabueze before Justice Fatu Riman of the Federal High Court, Kano on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence.

    The commission said: “Akabueze, who is serving a jail term, having been convicted in another matter investigated by the EFCC, arrived at the court from prison to take his plea on the fresh charge.

    “The accused, who is also known as ‘Temple Obiora Nnaemeka’, alongside his accomplice, Tony Momoh (now at large) allegedly defrauded a certain Moses Gana of the sum of N410,000 over a phony business proposal to supply ‘Solar 15A’ equipment, to some foreign partners.”

    Akabueze pleaded not guilty to the charge. The prosecuting counsel, Salihu Sani, asked for a date for the hearing of the case.

    The case was been adjourned to March 25 for continuation of trial and the accused remanded in prison custody.

  • Alleged fraud: EFCC arrests Bank Manager, Speaker’s PA

    Alleged fraud: EFCC arrests Bank Manager, Speaker’s PA

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Thursday said it has arrested a former manager with the defunct Intercontinental Bank, Mr. Olayinka Sanni and Mr. Oyebode Atoyebi, who is the Personal Assistant to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, over an alleged N1.5 billion fraud.

    The two suspects will soon be arraigned in court over the allegation.

    A statement signed by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, accused the affected manager of brokering many shady deals.

    The commission alleged that the manager transferred about N1.2 billion from Murhi International Limited and N306 million from Falana and Falana Chambers.

    The statement said: “A former manager with Intercontinental Bank Plc ( now Access Bank), Mr. Olayinka Sanni and Personal Assistant to Adeyemi Ikuforiji, Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Oyebode Atoyebi have been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) over a case of conspiracy, stealing and forgery amounting to about N1.5 billion.

    “Sanni, a chartered accountant and operator of SIDAW Ventures (a Bureau de Change), was alleged to have fraudulently transferred various sums of money from more than seven customers of the bank into the account of SIDAW ventures owned and operated by him without the customers’ consent.

    “Specifically, he transferred N65 million from the account of Babington Junior Seminary; N40 million from P.W. Nigeria Limited’s account; N15 million from Mikano International’s account; N20 million from Viju Industries Limited’s account, N306 million from the account of Falana & Falana Chambers and Fafun Nigeria Limited and N1.2 billion from Murhi International Limited into his SIDAW Ventures account without the consent of the account owners.

    “Besides, Sanni also collected the sum of $461,200 USD from one Chukwurah Nkiru, who sold it to him for the equivalent of N76, 559,200 but was not paid.

    “Sanni is also embroiled in a foreign exchange scam where his SIDAW Ventures account was used to handle the sum of N104, 405, 000 where only N72,229,000 worth of foreign exchange was paid to the customer leaving a balance of N32, 185, 000 being hotly contested between his firm and the customer.

    “Oyebode Atoyebi, Personal Assistant to Ikuforiji was also arrested for complicity and conspiracy with Sanni for allowing his passport-sized photograph and name to be used to open an account in SIDAW ventures limited in the name of Akanmu Babatunde.

    “With this fictitious name, Sanni brokered many shady deals and duped many innocent people.

    “The two suspects will soon be arraigned in court.”