Banker docked for allegedly stealing N28m ATM money

The level of greed among our present youths is getting out of hand, if truly we are the future leaders of this country then we have to lead by example. We condemn and talk down on our leaders because of their corrupt mind, but little opportunity comes our way we mismanage it.

Each time I read about fraud and stealing within the banking sector, I feel sad knowing that all these crimes are committed by people who are well paid. We search for jobs and when one is given to us, we mismanage it all because of greed and I want to belong syndrome.

This is what Vanguard reported about two former staff of the defunct Intercontinental Bank PLC

LAGOS — Chief Magistrate, Mrs. Oshodi-Makanju, of an Ikeja Magistrate Court has heard  how two former staff of the defunct Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc) allegedly stole N28.81  million belonging to the bank.

The prosecutor, Police Supretendent J. Onilegbale told the court that the money, which was meant for the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), was stolen in bits by the two defendants over a period of seven months (February to September 2009 ) until it accumulated to N28 million.

The defendants, Olanrewaju Shittu, 26, and Babatunde Salami, 25, are standing  trial before the court and had since pleaded not guilty to the charges preffered against them. They are facing a seven-count charge bordering on conspiracy, fraud and stealing.

The court  had earlier  granted them bail in the sum of N1 million each and two sureties in the like sum, one of which the magistrate said must be a director  of a bank or in the civil service.
The prosecutor told the court that Shittu and Salami, on September 8, 2009 conspired to defraud the bank of the said sum contrary to the law. He submitted that Salami received N700,000 from Shittu, knowing same to have been stolen from the money meant for ATMs and thereby committed an offence.

He  claimed that one of the defendants,  Shittu, opened  different accounts with  FirstBank of Nigeria Plc with the intent to defraud the defunct Intercontinental Bank.
The prosecutor alleged that part of the stolen N28.7 million was lodged into the accounts and gave details as follow: Account no: 4852010020068—N1,016,136.25; current account no: 4854010003780—N3,000,000.00;  fixed deposit account no: 48554010003629—N5,000,000.00 and  fixed deposit account no: 4852920730396—$7,282.89

He alleged that Salami  did received the various sums of money from Shittu knowing fully well that the money was meant for the ATM Machine.

The prosecutor further argued that Shittu also stole N110,000 that was meant for the ATMs  from the Lawanson Branch of the defunct Intercontinental Bank  on  September 4, 2009 at about 09. 07 a.m., adding that the money was, however, recovered by one Mr Akinshola Akinshina, who was the Acting Operations Officer of the branch of the bank at that time.