Adetokunbo Fakeye 

Ekiti, May 16, 2018 (AltAfrika)-The Nigeria Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has  arraigned one Ebenezer Adeolu Alonge,  a Cashier, with a new generation bank, before Justice Lekan Ogunmoye of the High Court of Ekiti State, Ado-Ekiti division, on an 11-count charge of stealing contrary to Section 390 (9) of the Criminal Code Laws Cap 16 Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.

Information from the anti-graft agency revealed that the bank petitioned the Commission after it discovered that the accused sometime in February, 2018 failed to credit a N62, 400.00 deposit by a customer to her account.

The petitioner in the petition sated that, sometime in February 15, 2017 the customer lodged the said sum into her account but the transaction could not be traced despite a copy of the slip signed by Alonge.

The incident was investigated and the said transaction was allegedly traced to Alonge’s wife account.

Further investigation revealed a turnover of over N21,000,000.00 (Twenty One Million Naira) as deposit from other customers in the accused’s wife’s account.

Also, it was alleged that other sums were traced to his mother-in-law and wife’s niece accounts, all suspected beneficiaries of the fraudulent acts.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him.

In view of his plea, counsel to the EFCC, Adeola Elumaro, applied for a date for trial and urged the court to remand the defendant in prison custody.

However, the defence counsel, Fasina A. Olayemi moved a pending application praying the court to admit the defendant to bail. Elumaro however opposed the application on the grounds that the defendant may not make himself available for trial and therefore urged the court to deny the application.

Justice Lekan, however, ordered that the defendant be remanded in Prison custody pending ruling on his bail application.

The case is adjourned to May 18, 2018 for ruling of the bail application.