The Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction and sentencing of two former officials of a new generation bank, Obadofin Daniel Bamise and Hadiza Oyiza Yakubu, for theft involving funds linked to the Federal Government’s palliative scheme.
The duo were convicted before Justice A.A. Bello of the Kaduna State High Court sitting in Kaduna after pleading guilty to separate one-count charges bordering on theft.
According to the charge against Obadofin:
“That you, Obadofin Bamise Daniel sometime between the 5th of November, 2024 and 23rd of January, 2025 in Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while being an employee of Access Bank Plc did in your capacity as an employee committed theft in the sum of N433,000.00 (Four Hundred and Thirty-Three Thousand Naira only) being property in possession of Access Bank Plc and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 274 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017 and punishable under same Law.”
The charge against Yakubu read:
“That you, Hadiza Oyiza Yakubu sometimes between the 5th of November, 2024 and 23rd of January, 2025 in Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while being an employee of Access Bank Plc did in your capacity as an employee committed theft in the sum of N806,000.00 (Eight Hundred and Six Thousand, Eight Hundred Naira only) being property in possession of Access Bank Plc and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 274 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017 and punishable under same Law.”
Following their guilty pleas, prosecution counsel, Moses Arumemi, urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly.
Justice Bello subsequently convicted and sentenced both defendants to seven years imprisonment each or an option of N50,000 fine respectively.
Investigations by the EFCC revealed that the convicts allegedly carried out unauthorised withdrawals from the accounts of 305 customers of the bank who were beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s Palliative Scheme.
The stolen funds, amounting to N7,842,700, were reportedly diverted and posted to accounts belonging to coordinators of the palliative scheme.
