According to a report by Punch, two men who
claim to be undergraduates of University of Jos,
Isaiah Friday and Azzaior Samuel, have been
arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission for allegedly stealing N2.05bn from
union bank Two bureau de change operators,
Salihu Mahmoud and Dan Ibrahim, were also
arrested in connection with the alleged crime.
The Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, Wilson
Uwujaren, said:
"Their arrest comes on the heels of a
petition which the commission received
from Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, Marina,
Lagos, in January 2013, alleging that a
criminal attack had been launched on its
data base known as 'Flexcube', by yet-to-be-
identified criminals who falsified the bank
records and accounts and created
unjustified huge opening balances in
several accounts across the bank's
branches. They subsequently transferred
funds from those accounts to several
accounts in other banks. The petition,
which was signed by one A.F Olufade, Head
of Fraud Investigation at the bank, said
cash withdrawals and electronic transfers
totalling N2.05bn was involved in the
scam."
It was learnt that EFCC initial investigation
showed that Friday, who was carrying out
computer system maintenance services for one
of the Union Bank branches in Jos, Plateau State,
on a part-time basis, paved the way for the
fraudsters to penetrate the bank's database.
Uwujaren said, "Friday was traced and arrested.
His arrest led to the arrest of Azaaior Samuel.
"Investigations further revealed that Samuel
introduced Friday to Mahmoud, who is the
mastermind of the fraud with others now at
large.
"Mahmoud and other collaborators told Friday
that they needed access to the bank's database
in order to carry out some postings. They
promised to give Friday N.5m if the deal
succeeded."
PUNCH Metro gathered that Friday agreed. On
the day the crime was committed, he told people
at the bank that Samuel was his colleague who
had accompanied him to work.
It was learnt that after the gang had succeeded
in gaining access to the bank's premises, it
carried out the postings to six different
company accounts domiciled in Union Bank's
Marina branch in Lagos.
Uwujaren said, "The accounts are Gona Bureau
De Change Limited, Jaxmine Bureau De Change
Limited, Dan Kawu Bureau De Change Limited,
Godswill Great Communications, ZHG Services
Limited and A and B Console Limited. The
postings were carried out and the syndicate
thereafter went to the bank to withdraw all the
funds. Friday was paid as promised and other
syndicate members now at large shared the
remaining balance."
The EFCC spokesman added that the
commission had been able to recover $2,129,900
and another N134,542, from the fraudsters.
He said, "Other items recovered are furniture
worth N10m from Salihu Liman's one bedroom
apartment in Yaba, Lagos; four vehicles, landed
properties in Kano and Kaduna and a four-
bedroom duplex worth N45m in Lagos.
Investigation into the scam continues."
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