- Two former bank staff jailed for diverting ₦10.3m pension funds in Enugu
- EFCC secured conviction after a long trial involving pensioners’ accounts
- Funds illegally withdrawn from dormant customer accounts
- Court warns against abuse of trust in the banking system
Justice A.O. Onovo of the Enugu State High Court, sitting in Independence Layout, sentenced Sani Endurance Aferokhe and Hillary Odo, both former employees of Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank), for their roles in the illegal diversion of customers’ funds.
The EFCC told the court that the two men abused their positions by secretly reactivating dormant accounts owned by pensioners and withdrawing money without consent. In total, ₦10.3 million was traced to the fraudulent transactions.
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One of the charges revealed that on November 21, 2012, the convicts withdrew ₦4.44 million from the account of Udekwu F.A.O. Another count showed that ₦2.11 million was unlawfully taken from the account of Onuora George in October 2012.
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Reading part of the judgment, Justice Onovo said the prosecution successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
“The defendants deliberately abused their positions of trust and caused financial harm to vulnerable customers, including pensioners,” the judge ruled.
Hillary Odo was convicted on two counts and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on each count, with an option of a fine. Aferokhe was convicted on 11 counts, receiving multiple jail terms, including a three-year sentence on one count.
The EFCC described the judgment as a warning to bank workers who see customers’ funds as easy targets.
