The police in Lagos have arrested an ex-manager of Ecobank Nigeria Plc, Ejigbo branch, 41-year-old Ikechukwu Aghanenu, for allegedly colluding with a suspected fraudster, Anthony Okpala, to defraud two customers of the bank of N14m.
The customers are Mrs. Oluremi Egunjobi (now late), and one Rabiu Lawal, who is based in the United Kingdom.
The suspects, who were arrested on Wednesday, reportedly diverted N4.014m from the deceased’s bank account 5323007058, while N10m was said to have been fraudulently withdrawn from Lawal’s account, 2741128259.
The 34-year-old Okpala and one other suspect at large, had presented themselves to Aghanenu as the relatives of the deceased with some forged documents authorising the bank to release the sum.
It was gathered that the deal was perfected between September and November, 2015 and the money was withdrawn from late Egunjobi’s account.
Within the same period, the police said Okpala paraded himself as a business partner of Lawal and allegedly colluded with Aghanenu to withdraw N10m from Lawal’s account in tranches.
Investigation of the alleged fraud commenced after a lawyer to the deceased’s relatives and Lawal respectively lodged complaints to the bank, adding that the manager had been sacked.
Lawal works in UK and saves money at the bank with the hope of using the money to invest when he relocates to Nigeria. It was when he checked his account balance that he discovered the withdrawals and complained to the bank.”
A team of policemen from the Ikoyi division led by one Sergeant Damian Oguinye, picked up Aghanenu and Okpala on Wednesday at the Ebute-Meta Magistrate’s Court, where the latter was allegedly facing another fraud trial.
They were arraigned in an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court on Thursday on five counts bordering on fraud and forgery by a police prosecutor, Friday Mameh.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the counts before the magistrate, Mr. P. A. Adekomaya.
They were granted bail in the sum of N3m each with two sureties each in like sum while the case was adjourned till September 6, 2016.
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