The
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested two young men who claimed
to be undergraduates of the University of Jos, Isaiah Friday and Azzaior
Samuel, for an alleged N2.05bn fraud. Two bureau
de change operators, Salihu Mahmoud and Dan Ibrahim, were also arrested in
connection with the alleged crime.
The
suspects were also accused of being members of a syndicate that specialised in
breaking into the computer data base of financial institutions to carry out dry
posting of funds. The Head,
Media and Publicity, EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, said the suspects were arrested in
Lagos and Jos.
He said,
“Their arrest comes on the heels of a petition which the commission received
from Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, Marina, Lagos, in January 2013, alleging that a
criminal attack had been launched on its data base known as ‘Flexcube’, by
yet-to-be-identified criminals who falsified the bank records and accounts and
created unjustified huge opening balances in several accounts across the bank’s
branches. They subsequently transferred funds from those accounts to several
accounts in other banks.
“The
petition, which was signed by one A.F Olufade, Head of Fraud Investigation at
the bank, said cash withdrawals and electronic transfers totalling N2.05bn was
involved in the scam.”
It was
learnt that EFCC initial investigation showed that Friday, who was carrying out
computer system maintenance services for one of the Union Bank branches in Jos,
Plateau State, on a part-time basis, paved the way for the fraudsters to penetrate
the bank’s database.
Uwujaren
said, “Friday was traced and arrested. His arrest led to the arrest of Azaaior
Samuel.
“Investigations
further revealed that Samuel introduced Friday to Mahmoud, who is the
mastermind of the fraud with others now at large.
“Mahmoud
and other collaborators told Friday that they needed access to the bank’s
database in order to carry out some postings. They promised to give Friday N.5m
if the deal succeeded.”
On the day the crime was committed, he told
people at the bank that Samuel was his colleague who had accompanied him to
work.
It was
learnt that after the gang had succeeded in gaining access to the bank’s
premises, it carried out the postings to six different company accounts domiciled
in Union Bank’s Marina branch in Lagos.
Uwujaren
said, “The accounts are Gona Bureau De Change Limited, Jaxmine Bureau De Change
Limited, Dan Kawu Bureau De Change Limited, Godswill Great Communications, ZHG
Services Limited and A and B Console Limited. The postings were carried out and
the syndicate thereafter went to the bank to withdraw all the funds. Friday was
paid as promised and other syndicate members now at large shared the remaining
balance.”
The EFCC
spokesman added that the commission had been able to recover
$2,129,900 and another N134,542, from the fraudsters.
He said,
“Other items recovered are furniture worth N10m from Salihu Liman’s one bedroom
apartment in Yaba, Lagos; four vehicles, landed properties in Kano and Kaduna
and a four-bedroom duplex worth N45m in Lagos.
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