Two Bankers Steal Customer’s N20m Using His Sim Card To Produce ATM Card

Two bankers were on Monday, arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Simon Akpah Amobeda of the Federal High Court, Kano on a three-count charge of conspiracy and stealing.

The two bankers, Freeman Austin Jacob and Umar Abdullah, and two others – Ahmed Bashir and Abdulhakim Musa (aka Gandu) were said to have allegedly conspired among themselves to produce an ATM card in the name of one Alhaji Sani Muntari and used the same to steal the sum of (N20,000,000) Twenty Million Naira Only from his bank.

A statement issued by EFCC Spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said the defendants perpetrated the fraud by using the SIM card of the account holder which was stolen by Bashir, the third defendant, to produce an ATM card with the help of the first and second defendants.

According to Uwujaren, the investigation traced some of the proceeds of the theft to the bank account of the fourth defendant, Abdulkarim Musa, a friend of the third defendant, Ahmed Bashir.

One of the charges reads, “That You, Freeman Austin Jacob, Umar Abdullahi, sometime in February 2020, at Kano within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, connived with Ahmed Bashir and Abdulhakim Musa (aka Gandu) to prime and issue ATM card from UBA account no 2062903187 belonging to one Alhaji Sani Muntari without the knowledge or consent of the said customer and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 14 (7) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc,) Act, 2015.”

All the defendants pleaded not guilty after listening to the charge.

Counsel for the prosecution, Aisha Tahar Habib requested that the defendants be remanded and urged the court to fix a date for the commencement of trial.

Counsel representing the 1^st and 2^nd defendants made an oral bail application on behalf of his clients which was opposed by the prosecution counsel on the grounds that the application ought to be formal.

L.A Umar who represented the 4^th defendant informed that she intends to file a formal bail application and subsequently prayed to the court for a date to do the same and serve the prosecution.

“After listening to the submissions of the parties, Justice Amobeda agreed with the prosecution that bail applications should be made formally as the court is a court of record,” the statement reads.

The anti-graft agency spokesman said the judge subsequently remanded the defendant and adjourned the matter till June 26, 2023, for a hearing of bail applications and commencement of trial.

In other news, Kanyi Daily reported that Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State on Monday went around the state’s metropolis and urged the people to come out and go about their various businesses.