Bank Employee Docked For Stealing N3m From ATM
The police in Lagos on Wednesday arraigned an employee of Keystone Bank Plc, Mrs. Chinonye Okafoagu before a Lagos State Chief Magistrate court sitting in Ebute-metta for allegedly stealing the sum of N3 million from the bank’s Automated Teller Machine (ATM).
Mrs. Okafoagu was docked by men of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) on a four count charge of conspiracy, stealing, forgery and false modification of ATM’s data.
According to the police, the alleged crime is contrary to, and punishable under sections 409, 285(7), 389(1), and 365(1) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos state of Nigeria, 2015.
The security agency in the charge, marked N/73/2017, alleged that the banker and others now at large, committed the offence in March 7, 2016, at the Festac Branch of the bank.
The police alleged that in order for the accused person and others to steal the N3 million from the bank’s ATM machine, they without lawful authority, modified the ATM’s data, thereby making the machine not to dispense money to the bank’s customers.
The accused person was also accused of having allegedly written the name of one Elizabeth to manage the bank’s ATM machine on the said date, and equally appended her signature on the loading staff’s register, which she equally presented to the management of the bank.
However, after the charge was read to the accused banker, she pleaded not guilty to all the counts.
Consequently, the presiding magistrate, Mrs. A. O. Salawu, granted her bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum.
The magistrate also ordered the sureties to furnish the court with evidence of three years’ tax paid to the Lagos state government, means of livelihood, and have their addresses verified by the court’s registrar.
The court thereafter adjourned the matter till September 25, for commencement of trial.
