The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Kaduna Zonal Office on January 16, 2019 arraigned Bashir Abdullahi Mohammed, Oche Ogenyi, Adefila Taofile Kayode, Rabiu Aliko Lawal and Mmadu Mathew before justice Mohammed Tukur of a Kaduna State High Court, on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and stealing to the tune of N466, 000, 000 (Four Hundred and Sixty Six Million Naira) only.
They were
arrested following a petition by Polaris Bank, alleging that they hacked
into the bank’s application, and fraudulently increased the N781,000 in
one of the customer’s bank account to N466 million.
One of the
counts reads: “That you Bashir Abdullahi Mohammed, Oche Ogenyi, Adefila
Taofile Kayode, Rabiu Aliko Lawal, Mmadu Mathew Onyekachi, and others
now at large, sometime in 2018 in Kaduna within the judicial Division of
the High Court, did conspire amongst yourselves to commit theft of the
sum of N466 million and you thereby committed an offence contrary to
58(1) of the Penal Code Law Kaduna State 2017 and punishable under
Section 59(1) of the same Law”.
They pleaded “not guilty” to the charges.
Prosecuting
counsel, Onyeka Ekweozor, thereafter asked the court to fix a date for
“commencement of trial”, and asked that they be remanded in EFCC
custody.
“The defendants have separate charges before a Federal
High Court pending arraignment, and remanding them in prison custody
will make it difficult for the prosecution to arraign them,” he said.
Counsel
for the first defendant, A. Ashat, in his oral bail application urged
the court to grant his client bail, arguing that he will not jump bail.
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