A 39-year-old train driver with the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Christopher Ofielu, has been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment or a fine of N1.5 million for stealing N6.99 million from a fintech company, HabariPay Ltd.
Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court delivered the judgment on Monday following Ofielu’s guilty plea to a one-count charge of stealing brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC told the court that Ofielu exploited a system glitch in October 2023 to fraudulently transfer N6,995,944 into his HabariPay Squad account, which investigators said was created for illicit transactions.
A petition from HabariPay Ltd dated Sept. 26, 2023, triggered the investigation. The glitch reportedly led to unauthorized withdrawals exceeding N900 million, with Ofielu receiving a portion.
Prosecution witness Adams Adze testified that the defendant first transferred N500 before initiating the larger transaction. He also revealed that Ofielu admitted to being part of a WhatsApp group coordinating the fraud.
EFCC prosecutor Mr. Abubakar Dambuwa said the offence contravened Section 280 (1)(b)(f) and was punishable under Section 287 of the Lagos State Criminal Law, 2015.
Defence counsel Mercy Akhabue pleaded for leniency, describing Ofielu as a first-time offender who had shown remorse and taken steps to refund the stolen funds.
Justice Oshodi ordered that the stolen sum be restituted from Ofielu’s Access Bank account within seven days and directed the restoration of his Ecobank account. He also mandated that the convict’s biometric data be registered in the Lagos State Offenders’ Database.
“You are sentenced to one year and six months imprisonment from today, Oct. 20, 2025, for the offence of stealing,” the judge said.
