Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday December 10, 2015 arraigned the trio of Uchenna-Dike Ogbonnaya, Uchenna-Dike Ugomma and Ukeni Ugah Adanne before Justice U. N. Agomoh Of the Federal High Court, sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on a 17-count charge bordering on Conspiracy, Stealing, Money laundering and Obtaining Money by False Pretence to the tune of Eighty Six Million, Nine Hundred and Forty One Thousand, Five Hundred Naira (N86,941,500).
The suspects were arrested following a petition written by Ecobank alleging that the 2nd defendant who was a staff the Bank, alongside her husband (the 1st defendant) took advantage of a system glitch to steal a combined sum of N86,941,500 (Eighty Six Million, Nine Hundred and Forty One Thousand, Five Hundred Naira) from fifteen different Ecobank accounts without a corresponding debits from initiating banks. The 3rd defendant is the mother of the 2nd defendant who knowing full well about the fraud received One Hundred and Ninety Four Thousand Five Hundred Naira (N194,500) through her Ecobank account number 0361048870.
One of the counts reads: “that you, Uchenna-Dike Ogbonnaya, Uchenna-Dike Ugomma and Ukeni Ugah Adanne, sometime in 2014, at Port Harcourt, Rivers State, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable court, while Uchenna-Dike Ugomma was a staff of Ecobank Nigeria Limited, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony wit; stealing, punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code Act Cap. C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2007 read together with Section 1 (1) (d) of the Failed Banks (Recovery of Debts) and Financial Malpractices in Banks Act Cap. B3 Revised Edition (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) 2007”.
Another count reads, “that you Uchenna-Dike Ogbonnaya, Uchenna-Dike Ugomma, sometime in 2014, did steal the combined sum of Thirty-Seven Million, Five Hundred and Eighty-Thousand Naira from Ecobank Nigeria Limited by taking advantage of an Ecobank system glitch to prompt the account of Ukpong Ezinna Peter with Ecobank account number 0681071411 to be credited with the said sum of Thirty-Seven Million, Five Hundred and Eighty-Thousand Naira contrary to Section 383 (2) (f) of the Criminal Code Act Cap. C38 Revised Edition, (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) 2007 and Punishable Under section 390 (9) of the same Act read together with section 1 (1) (d) of the Failed Banks (Recovery of Debts) and Financial Malpractices in Banks Act Cap. B3 Revised Edition (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) 2007”.
They pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to them.
Justice Agomoh adjourned the matter to 15th December, 2015 for hearing of bail applications and 13th January, 2016 for trial. The defendants were remanded in prison custody. [EFCC]
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