Banker steals N124m deposited by customer, sends fake email alert

A former bank staff has been arraigned by the Ibadan zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly stealing N124 million meant to be deposited in a customer’s bank account.

Adejare Sonde, who has now been sacked by the new generation bank where he committed the crime, was said to have suppressed and diverted the said amount belonging to a customer which happens to be microfinance bank in Abeokuta, Ogun state.

During his arraignement before Justice A. A. Akinyemi of the State High Court sitting in Abeokuta, the EFCC said Sonde, as accounts officer, collected a total of N124million from cash from the customer on different occasions, but failed to credit the customer’s account.

Investigations revealed further that he allegedly doctored emails which he sent to the customer as monthly statements of account even when there was no remit in the account.

Following a petition by his bank’s Regional Compliance Head and Compliance Officer, Sonde was arraigned on a twelve-count charge bordering on stealing, forgery and uttering.

One of the charge said: “Adejare Sonde between March 2015 and February 2017 whilst a staff of FCMB PLC and the account officer of UNAAB Microfiance Bank Ltd Account No: 0725813014 domiciled at the UNAAB main campus branch of FUMB, Abeokuta, within the Abeokuta Judicial Division stole the sum of N54, 000,000.00 (Fifty Four Million Naira) only property of UNAAB Microfinance Bank Ltd”

Another reads: “Adejare Sonde on or about the 1st of July, 2016 whilst a staff of FCMB PLC and the account officer of UNAAB Microfinance Bank Ltd Account No: 0725813014 domiciled at the UNAAB main campus branch of FUMB, Abeokuta, within the Abeokuta Judicial Division stole the sum of N40,002,100.00 ( Forty Million, Two Thousand One Hundred Naira) only property of UNAAB Microfinance Bank Ltd”.

The defendant however, pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him.

Following his plea, prosecution counsel, Cosmos Ugwu prayed the court for a trial date and asked that the defendant be remanded in prison custody. But counsel to the defendant, E. E. Jacob informed the court of a bail application already filed before it. He thereafter prayed the court to allow the defendant remain in the EFCC’s custody pending the hearing of the bail application.

Ruling, Justice Akinyemi granted the defense’ prayer and ordered that the defendant be remanded in EFCC’s custody pending hearing of bail application.

The case was then adjourned to Friday February 16, 2018 for trial and hearing of bail application.