EFCC arrests 5 Bank staff stealing from dead customers

Five members of staff of a new generation mid-tier Bank were on Monday dragged before Justice Archibong Archibong of the Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo for stealing from dead customers.

The accused were identified as Mbong Essien, Akwa Akwa, Precious John, Kenneth Udoetuk and Ubong Udom.

They were arraigned on a 23-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery, obtaining by false pretence and criminal conversion of depositors’ funds to the tune of N37,690,000.

According to the anti-graft commission, the Uyo Zonal Office uncovered the criminal syndicate of bankers which specialises in forging signatures of deceased bank customers and stealing from their accounts.

EFCC said the suspects also executed fraudulent financial transactions, including unauthorised debits of depositors’ funds.

“The management of the bank’s Abak Road branch in Uyo and 72 of the bank customers had in a petition dated December 9, 2019, alerted the Commission of suspicious withdrawals from customers’ accounts, including that of a deceased customer.

“Investigation by the EFCC revealed that Mbong used his position as the Head, Operations and Transaction Service and Delivery, to establish a criminal syndicate that specialised in perpetrating the fraudulent transactions and deductions.

“Further investigations also showed that without the authorisation or knowledge of the management of the bank, the defendants managed a fictitious fixed deposit account with interest accruing to it,” an EFCC statement read in part.

• One of the charges reads: “Mbong Emmanuel Essien ‘M’, Ubong Godwin Udom ‘M’ and Akwa Ephraim Akwa ‘M’ being staff of  the bank’s Abak Road branch, sometime in June 2019 at Uyo within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did steal the sum of N10,000,000.00 (Ten million naira) only, from the Bank account of Arit Jeremiah Eshiet, which proceeds you fraudulently converted to your personal use and thereby committed an offence.”

According to EFCC, the offence is contrary to Section 392 (1) and punishable under Section 399 of the Criminal Code CAP 38 Vol. II Laws of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria 1999.

They pleaded “not guilty” to the charges.

In view of their pleas, counsel for the EFCC, Nwandu K. Ukoha, prayed the court for a trial date and for the defendants to be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service.

Justice Archibong adjourned the matter to June 1, 2, and 3, 2020, for hearing, while the defendants were remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service, pending the hearing of their bail applications.