A Kaduna State High Court has convicted and sentenced two former bank officials for theft involving funds linked to the Federal Government’s palliative scheme.
The convicts, Obadofin Daniel Bamise and Hadiza Oyiza Yakubu, were prosecuted by the Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission before Justice A.A. Bello of the Kaduna State High Court sitting in Kaduna.
The duo, who were former employees of Access Bank Plc, faced separate one-count charges bordering on theft.
According to the charge against Bamise, he allegedly stole N433,000 between Nov. 5, 2024 and Jan. 23, 2025 while working with the bank.
Yakubu was accused of stealing N806,000 within the same period.
The offences contravened Section 274 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.
Both defendants pleaded guilty to the charges when they were arraigned.
Counsel to the EFCC, Moses Arumemi, urged the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
Justice Bello subsequently convicted and sentenced the two ex-bank officials to seven years imprisonment each, with an option of N50,000 fine.
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 anti-graft agency said the unauthorised withdrawals amounted to N7,842,700.
According to the EFCC, the funds were allegedly diverted into accounts belonging to coordinators of the palliative scheme.
