The Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of two former officials of a new-generation bank, Obadofin Daniel Bamise and Hadiza Oyiza Yakubu, over theft-related offences in Kaduna State.
The convictions were secured before Justice A.A. Bello of the Kaduna State High Court sitting in Kaduna, following separate one-count charges filed against the defendants.
According to the EFCC, Obadofin was accused of stealing N433,000 while Yakubu was charged with theft involving N806,000 during their employment with Access Bank Plc between November 5, 2024, and January 23, 2025.
The anti-graft agency stated that the offences contravened Section 274 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.
During proceedings, both defendants pleaded guilty to the charges preferred against them.
Following their pleas, prosecution counsel, Moses Arumemi, urged the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
Justice Bello subsequently convicted and sentenced the duo to seven years imprisonment each, with an option of a N50,000 fine respectively.
Investigations by the EFCC revealed that the convicts allegedly carried out unauthorised withdrawals from the accounts of 305 customers who were beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s Palliative Scheme.
The commission disclosed that the illegal withdrawals amounted to N7,842,700, which was reportedly transferred into accounts belonging to coordinators of the palliative scheme.
