by Oge Okonkwo

31-year-old Adeola  Olokojobi, has been arrested by the Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU), for allegedly stealing N50 million from a customer’s account.

Mr. Olokojobi an Account Officer with GTHOMES, a Central Bank of Nigeria licensed mortgage institution, allegedly confessed to the crime.

In a statement on Thursday in Lagos, the police said a petitioner, a consumer to the bank, had accused  Mr. Olokojobi, his account officer for not being forthcoming with his account balances.

Premium Times reports:

The petitioner also alleged that the balance given to him by Mr. Olokojobi, was at variance with his actual balance in the account.

“The bank internal investigation into the account showed a forged instruction by the account officer in April 2013 transferring the sum of N15 million to an unknown customer account,” the police said.

“Also, the bank discovered other various fraudulent withdrawals made by the account officer from other customers’ accounts in his care through fake transfer instructions amounting to over N50 million,” the police added.

The suspect, who joined the bank in 2009 as an account officer, confessed to fraudulent withdrawals amounting to N50,640,748 from the account of the petitioner by transferring funds into the accounts of customers with forged signature and then withdrawing the money, the police said.

“The funds were used to finance his political campaign, proposed pure water company, and purchase of an uncompleted building at Sango-Ota, Ogun State,” the police added.

In a related development, the SFU said that it has arrested one Hajara Egbra, a Technical Officer with the Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA, over a N25 million land scam.

Ms. Egbra, 45, and her accomplice, Mohammed Sadiq, have been charged with obtaining the money under false pretences and would be charged to court soon, the SFU said.

Mr. Sadiq, an Abuja based land developer, has jumped bail and efforts are still on to re-arrest him, the police added.

The SFU said that it acted upon a petition dated 5th June, 2013, in which the petitioner, a business woman, alleged that she purchased a plot of land, measuring 2,500 square meters, within Asokoro Extension, Abuja, on an agreed sum of N25 million from the suspect in 2009.

“The payment was made in three installments of N10 million and N8 million. The suspect issued a receipt with invoice No. 0073 dated 29/09/2009 and Invoice No. 0201 dated 06/10/2009.

“The petitioner further alleged that the third payment of N5 million was paid through First Bank cheque No. 01795293 dated 19th December 2012. The petitioner stated that it was while she was trying to process the building plan and other related documents that she discovered that she has been duped,” the statement continued.

“The suspect actually sold to her a land that already has an owner. Also, the suspect gave her another plot which she had already fenced with the sum of N450,000 and was later told by the suspect that the plot is equally not vacant,” the statement added.

The police stated that Ms. Egbra, who hails from Okene in Kogi State, also owns a shop at Garki Modern Market, Abuja.

“She confessed the allegation levelled against her of obtaining the sum of N25 million from the petitioner. That she gave the sum of N18.5 million to one Alhaji Mohammed Sadiq, a developer, while the remaining balance is for her services,” the police said.

“Mohammed confessed collecting the sum of N18.5 million from Hajara and has jumped the police bail.”