EFCC arraigns fake banker for stealing N6m

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has dragged a fake First Bank employee, Akpere Ovine Desmond, to the Federal High Court, Warri, Delta State, for allegedly stealing N6 million from a customer, and being in possession of 44 ATM cards with which he perpetrated various other crimes.

Desmond was arraigned on February 25, 2015, on a 2-count charge bordering on conspiracy and money laundering.

In a press release signed by the Head, Media and Publicity, of the anti-graft agency, Wilson Uwujaren, the Commission had recieved a petition on May 29, 2012, intimating it of the fraud.

The petitioner had complained that one Taiwo Ogunsanyo, claiming to be an empolyee of the bank, had placed a call to him, claiming that the bank was updating customers’ security information and requested the account holder to provide his token number, phone number and corporate identity number.

The account owner sent all the details as requested and, to his surprise, he received a debit alert of the withdrawal of N6,000,000 from his company, First Ambition Investment Limited’s account with First Bank.

The statement continued:

"A trail of the funds led investigators to an account number 2060211484 at the United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) belonging to one Frank Asemota, from where the money was transferred to different accounts and consequently withdrawn at various ATM terminals.

Akpere Ovine Desmond whose account was flagged was arrested in Access Bank, Benin, Edo State, with 44 ATM cards.

Investigation further revealed that the accused person conspired with others to launder the six million naira (N6, 000,000.00) proceed of the scam."

One of the counts reads:

'That you Akpere Ovine Desmond on or about the 29th day of May, 2013 at Sapele, Delta State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did convert the sum of six million  naira (N6,000,000.00) belonging to one Taiwo Aremu Waheed, which you derived from the money illegally transferred into the account of one Frank Asemota domiciled at United Bank for Africa (UBA) with account number 2060211484 with the aim of disguising the origin of the money and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 (2) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.'

The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge and Justice Abubakar granted the accused bail in the sum of N3 million while adjourning the case till April 29, 2015 for trial.