Banker Arrested For Stealing N50m From Customers In Lagos

The Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Ikoyi, Lagos State, has arrested an account officer of Guaranty Trust Homes, Adeola Olokojobi, in connection with a N50m fraud at the financial institution. Prior to his arrest, Olokojobi was said to be working at the GT Homes, Saka Tinubu branch in Victoria Island.

An internal investigation conducted by GT Homes into the account revealed that Olokojobi in April 2013, forged an instruction, transferring N15m from the petitioner's account, to an unknown account.

The bank also discovered other various fraudulent withdrawals made by the account officer from other customers' accounts in his care through fake transfer instructions. It amounted to over N50m.

He said the funds were used to finance his political campaign, a proposed pure water company and purchase of an uncompleted building at Sango-Ota, Ogun State.

The SFU had received a petition in October 2013, from a customer of the branch where Olokojobi worked. The customer had alleged that Olokojobi, who was his account officer, had "not been forthcoming with his account balances".

A statement by the SFU Commissioner of Police, Mr. Tunde Ogunsakin, said: "The petitioner also alleged that the balance given to him was at variance with his actual balance in the account..."

"Olokojobi in his confessional statement said he had fraudulently withdrawn monies amounting to N50,640,748 from the account of the customers by transferring funds into the accounts of fictitious customers and subsequently withdrawing same."

A banking and finance graduate, Olokojobi joined GT Homes in 2009.

He, however, denied that he had fraudulently transferred over N50m, insisting that instead, it was N27m.

He said: "..All I simply do is add another million or two to the sum the customer requested."

"..after using the money to do some business transactions, I always paid it back. I was into several businesses.."