Banker: How I ran N2bn illegal accounts for Maina

Give us evidence, ex-pension chief’s lawyer tells EFCC

A banker has told detectives how she ran five  accounts used to perpetrate a N2bilion pension fraud in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

Former Pension Reform Task Team chief Abdulrasheed Maina is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the alleged pension fraud.

The EFCC is probing Maina’s alleged complicity in the operation of the accounts, following the confessions of  Fidelity Bank Account Officer Toyin Meseke.

Besides, Meseke is said to have told the EFCC that Maina had been operating a safe deposit box with the bank.

EFCC’s investigators found that withdrawals from the five accounts were usually channelled through some bureaux de change to an account in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The bureaux de change are JIEK BDC, West Waves and Alnasara.

A document obtained by our correspondent identified the accounts as Cluster Logistics, Nafisatu Aliyu, Abdullahi Faizal, Kangolo and Drew Investment.

Meseke spilled the beans on how the accounts were managed by a suspected pension fraud syndicate.

Meseke said: “I managed Nafisatu Aliyu, Cluster Logistics and Abdullahi Faizal for Abdulrasheed Maina as soon as his brother, Khalid Aliyu, left the bank three years ago.

“Though all the three accounts do not carry Abdulrasheed Maina’s name but I carried out instruction on the accounts for him as explained to me by his brother that   Abdulrasheed Maina owns all funds in the accounts before he resigned from the bank.

“He is not a signatory to the three accounts mentioned. He usually called me on my phone number -08057465698 – to carry out instruction on all the three accounts.

“And he also sent e-mail instructions through his email gajipeace@gmail.com to my personal email freshicekiddy@yahoo.com  to carry out instructions. Thereafter, he would send someone to the bank to give me a form of regularisation on the transactions done on all the three accounts.

“Sometimes when it is getting too late to regularize, I would call to remind him and asked me to come to his house in Kado to receive the regularised cheques.

“Most time, precisely on two occasions, I received the already signed regularised cheques in an enveloped sealed at the gate of his house.

“On 3/10/14, Abdulrasheed sent an instruction to debit Cluster Logistics with the sum of N15, 870, 690 and credit to a Bureau De Change account (JIEK BDC). This amount was converted to US dollars for onward delivery to him. I don’t know, I cannot remember the USD equivalent.

“Also on May 2, 2014, Abdulrasheed Maina sent a mail carrying instruction that the sum of N33, 880,000 be debited from the same Cluster Logistics and transferred to a Bureau De Change (West Waves). This was converted by the BDC customer and delivered to him.

“He scanned and sent another instruction on May 6, 2014 to me to debit Cluster Logistics with N47, 500, 00 and credit to BDC Customer, West Waves BDC who converted and sent to him.

“On the transaction that took place on July 3, 2015 in Abdullahi Faizal, he (Abdulrasheed Maina) sent an e-mail that the account be liquidated and converted to US dollars (USD). So, I got a bureau de change customer to convert the sum of N108million for him.”

Regarding accounts opened in the names of Kangolo and Drew Investment, Meseke added: “I am not sure who the account officers are. Sometimes last year, I got to know that Abdulrasheed Maina owns these accounts. I have never initiated any transaction on these accounts.”

Meseke also confirmed that Maina was operating a safe deposit box with the bank.

She, however, said Maina has sole access to the box.

She added: “As for the safe deposit box, I got to know that Maina maintained a safe deposit box after I joined in 2011 when he came to access his box and that the box had been in existence before I joined the bank in 2008. The last time I saw him coming to access his box was in 2013 but I cannot remember the exact month.”

Yesterday Maina’s lawyer Mrs Esther Uzoma, said: “We are waiting for the amended charges which the EFCC said contained the allegations.

“The EFCC has been saying that Maina operated slush accounts but they have not shown us any evidence.”

In a statement on Tuesday in Abuja she said: “The EFCC should come clean on the matter of my client, Dr. Abdulrasheed Maina. When I appeared before His Lordship, Justice Kolawole on July 21, I made it clear that the EFCC was yet to file any charge as well as serve any summons on Dr. Maina.

“It is trite law that you cannot say an accused is on the run when there is no charge preferred against him or any invitation extended to him.

“During the hearing for the bail application, counsel to the EFCC, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), wanted the court to direct me to produce Maina in court at the next sitting but I argued that there are clear procedures, which the EFCC is familiar with and should follow.

“Naturally, the court agreed with my submission on the position of law. Therefore, it is misleading for the EFCC in its statement of Monday to mislead the public that there exists an order for Maina to be produced in court when there is no invitation extended to him let alone a charge preferred against him by the commission.

Banker: How I ran N2bn illegal accounts for Maina

EFCC arrest banker who aided pension thief

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested two top managers of a commercial bank for assisting the former Chairman of Pension Reform Task Team, PRTT, Abdulrasheed Maina, to launder stolen pension funds. Maina is on the run after the EFCC filed charges against him for stealing billions of pension funds through a phony biometric exercise alongside former Head of Service of the Federation, Steve Oronsaye.

EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde

Sources at the EFCC disclosed that the two bankers, Danjuma Zubairu, group head, private banking and Abubarkar Gwambe, an account officer, in the Abuja Central Business District business unit of the bank, were arrested on Thursday following fresh evidence that they are managing proxy accounts for the fugitive.

The accounts, which have over time witnessed massive inflow of slush funds include two corporate and three individual accounts. The first individual account opened in the name of Abdullahi Faizer, had a turnover of N1.5billion while the other operated in the name of Nafisatu Aliyu recorded a turnover of over N100,000.

The corporate accounts of Cluster Logistics had a turnover of N500million and $400,000 USD. Drew Investment and Construction and Kongolo Dynamics Cleaning Limited recorded turnovers of N54million and N509million respectively. All five accounts have different opening packages. Four of the accounts were allegedly opened by one Khalid Aliyu, a relation of Maina, who was an employee of the bank.

The said Khalil is currently at large. But investigation established that Abdulrasheed Maina is the one operating the accounts. Competent sources in the anti-graft agency disclosed that this nexus was established through detailed analysis of telephone text messages and email communication between Maina and the bank officials.

The bulk of the monies, it was gathered, had been moved through some Bureau de Change operators,who convert them into dollars and then transfer to Maina in his hideout, believed to be United Arab Emirates.

The EFCC has been on the trail of Maina for a number of years.

Before the agency filed charges against him in absentia, it arrested the woman, who served as secretary to Maina during his reign as the chairman of the controversial PRTT, during which billions of pension funds reportedly disappeared from the treasury.

Ann Igwe, who was a confidant of Maina, was grilled by the agency and she allegedly made useful confessions on how the biometric contract allegedly awarded to streamline pension administration under Maina actually became a conduit for stealing pension fund.

EFCC arrest banker who aided pension thief

Bank Manager Arrested over Foiled Bank Robbery

•   Kidnappers use Internet job offer as bait

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

An operations manager with a “new generation” bank located at Effurun, near Warri, has been arrested by the Delta State Police Command after he was allegedly fingered in a failed robbery attempt on the bank.

Police Inspector General, Solomon Arase

Also arrested by the police is a dispatch-rider with the bank, who allegedly connived with the said manager and others still at large to plan the robbery operation, which was however botched by the police and other security operatives.

An undisclosed amount of money allegedly hidden within the bank’s premises has also been recovered after the aborted bank robbery attempt.

Delta State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mrs. Celestina Kalu, a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), who revealed this to newsmen on Friday, said that the an attempt by bandits to rob the bank two weeks ago was foiled because the police had prompt intelligence on the plan.

She identified the bank’s operation manager as “one Francis Enebeme”, and the bank’s despatch rider who were allegedly involved in the planning and execution of the foiled robbery operation as “one Wilfred Akah”.

The PPRO said, “Following credible information that a gang of armed robbers had finalised plans to rob Enterprise Bank Plc, by Refinery Junction on Effurun-Sapele Road, Warri, operatives of SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad)  mounted surveillance around the Bank.”

Mrs. Kalu noted that the security surveillance paid off as the robbers were successfully beaten back by the police.

According to her, “At about 17.23hrs (5.23pm local rime) on September 4, 2015, the hoodlums invaded the said bank, but they were successfully repelled by a combined team of SARS operatives and mobile policemen on duty at the bank.

“Various sums of money hidden in the offices by the suspects were equally recovered”, the police spokeswoman said, adding that further investigation into the matter was ongoing.

Meanwhile, the PPRO also disclosed the successful rescue of a kidnapped victim when a team of policemen stormed the hideout of the kidnappers at Ibusa, near Asaba while they demanded for ransom form the family members.

The victim reportedly told the police after his rescue that he “was lured by the criminals to Ibusa through the internet for a job offer.”

The raid followed a tipoff, with two of the suspects reportedly arrested dying later from the bullet wounds they received. “However, the suspects later gave up the ghost on the way to hospital”, she said.

She revealed that “the hoodlums on sighting the policemen abandoned their victim, Mr Odaro David Iyawe, and fled.”

“The policemen shot and arrested the two suspects who gave their names as one Uche Nwadali of Nando in Anambra State, and Austin Okolie of Ibusa.

“The suspects named one Collins Oligidi, the son of the owner of the house where the victim was kept, currently on the run as their cohort.”

Bank Manager Arrested over Foiled Bank Robbery

Bank manager found hanging in uncompleted building

ABEOKUTA — The decomposing body of a 44‑year‑old branch manager of a commercial bank, Habeeb Olatunde, who reportedly committed suicide has been discovered. 

The late bank manager who was reportedly declared missing on June 18, 2014 was found dead in an uncompleted building at Arepo, near Ibafo, at about 3pm last Saturday.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this, yesterday, in a statement, saying the Police detectives attached to Ibafo Divisional Headquarters, led by the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Salawu Jimoh, made the discovery.

Adejobi further explained that the command had circulated news of Olatunde’s disappearance at Ibafo Division on June 19, 2014, adding that the Police have intensified efforts to find him before his body was discovered after a thorough search with the help of members of the community.

According to Adejobi, preliminary investigation revealed that the top bank official committed suicide by hanging, adding: “While investigation was on, it was revealed that the deceased actually complained of stress in the office and was permitted to have a rest. He committed the suicide while he was on casual leave.

“His corpse had been released to his family for burial according to Islamic rites as no mark of violence was seen on the body and no foul play suspected.”

“The Commissioner of Police Ogun State, CP Ikemefuna Okoye, has commended members of the community for their support and usual cooperation towards achieving adequate security of lives and property in Arepo and Ogun State in general.

“The commissioner also commiserated with the family of the deceased, members of his community and his colleagues in office for the loss.”

 

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Bank manager found hanging in uncompleted building

Banker Defraud Emir of Kano N17 million

By Jide Ajani

The princely amount of N46 million in the dormant bank account of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, was simply irresistible for the young female banker.

EFCC Boss

So the suspect, Amina Magaji, was prepared to risk everything to reactivate the account and convert part of the balance there in to her use. The account was said to have been opened  in 1967 but went dormant later. The suspect allegedly applied for a cheque book, got it and began to operate the account. By the time the bubble burst, she had, according to a source, withdrawn N17million from the account. Amina, alongside 12 other staffers of the old generation bank, is answering questions from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on the alleged fraud.

The suspect is allegedly married to a senior staff of  a broadcast organisation.

Amina, believed to be in her late 30s, allegedly began systematic withdrawal from the monarch’s account since 2011 before she ran out of luck when her boss discovered discrepancies in the Emir’s signature.

An EFCC source disclosed that the suspected fraudster requested for a cheque book purportedly on the order of Bayero which the bank obliged her, but, unknown to other bank officials, the cheque book remained in her custody.

She consequently used the cheque to make withdrawals from the monarch’s account.

Bank sources revealed that Amina within the last four years withdrew N17 million from the Emir’s account  before the scam blew open.

The EFCC source said the matter was reported to the anti graft agency for appropriate action, stressing that “consequent upon that, we invited and quizzed 12 staffers closely related to the account”.

An EFCC operative, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard on the condition of anonymity, revealed that “preliminary investigations indicate that many of them have case to answer as we are able to establish conspiracy and negligence on the part of those connected with the monitoring and control of the bank account in question”.

It was learnt that “the bank has raised the alleged stolen money through the 12 staffers quizzed by the EFCC and returned same to the Emir while the principal suspect has been fired as part of measures adopted by the bank to restore confidence.”.

In the meantime, the principal suspect is said to be cooling her feet in the EFCC custody pending the completion of investigation into the case.

EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwajeren, confirmed the story; but refused to go any further.

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Banker Defraud Emir of Kano N17 million