Got You! Banker jailed for using family members' accounts to steal customers' money

A bank staff has been jailed for using his siblings' accounts to steal customer's money.

Obioha Okengwu, a senior staff member of Diamond Bank PLC, has been remanded at the Ikoyi Prisons, for allegedly defrauding the bank of N111.2 million of customers' funds and crediting same into various accounts run by members of his family.

The Federal High Court, Lagos, presided over by Justice Mohammed Yunusa, heard how Okengwu, who was working in the E-Business Unit of the bank in one of its Lagos branches, allegedly transferred the sum into five accounts run by his siblings.

The beneficiaries of the crime include his elder brother, Uchenna Okengwu who got N37 million and N41.4 million credited to his accounts; Rosamund Okengwu’s account was credited with N10 million while an account owned by the suspect's sister, Bekky Okengwu got N13.3 million just as N9.5 million was credited into Chukwuemeka Okengwu’s account.

According to the prosecution counsel Effiong Asuquo, Okengwu committed the offence between April and August 2015, when he was handling the bank's daily settlement of POS (Point of Sales) and ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) transactions.

When the charges were read to the accused, he pleaded not guilty and Justice Yunusa ordered him remanded in prison custody while the case was adjourned to September 22 for hearing of his bail application.

It is really sad that bank workers whom customers trust with their funds, are the ones stealing such funds.

In February 2015, a former marketing officer with a Lagos branch of the Fidelity Bank, Friday Yahaya, was docked by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for stealing the sum of  N25, 350,000, from depositor's account.

Read: "Fraudster: EFCC docks banker for allegedly stealing N25m depositors’ money"

While in January, 2015, a female banker, Geraldine Faikabuna, was declared wanted by the EFCC for stealing N52.8 million belonging to customers.

Read: "Most Wanted: EFCC hunts for female banker over fraud"