THE Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has secured the conviction of two former bank officials, Obadofin Daniel Bamise and Hadiza Oyiza Yakubu, for theft.
The duo were convicted by Justice A.A. Bello of the Kaduna State High Court, sitting in Kaduna, after they pleaded guilty to separate one-count charges.
According to the EFCC, Obadofin, a former Access Bank employee, was accused of stealing ₦433,000, while Yakubu was accused of stealing over ₦806,000 while serving in the same bank.
Following their guilty pleas, prosecution counsel, Moses Arumemi, urged the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
Justice Bello sentenced both convicts to seven years imprisonment each, with an option of ₦50,000 fine respectively.
Investigations revealed that the former bankers carried out unauthorised withdrawals from the accounts of 305 customers, who were beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s Palliative Scheme.
The total amount allegedly withdrawn from the customers’ accounts was put at ₦7,842,700, which was reportedly moved into accounts belonging to coordinators of the scheme.
