A
29 year-old warder with the old Abeokuta Prisons, Ogun State, Joseph
Emmanuel, who was able to not only open a bank account for an inmate but
also helped the inmate in making several withdrawals, has been arrested
by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The warder is also being held for allegedly using the name and documents
of an illiterate taxi driver in his neighborhood, Monsuru Adeogun to
open the First Bank account for the inmate.
A statement from
Wilson Uwujaren, spokesperson of the EFCC, said the suspect allegedly
assisted the inmate whom he called ‘Ora’ to open the account, after
refusing to yield his own account to the inmate to use.
The
suspect allegedly assisted the inmate whom he called ‘Ora’ to open the
account, using the name of one taxi driver in his neighbourhood called
Monsuru Ogunsina Adeogun".
Investigations showed that, after
filling out the account opening documents and observing all account
opening formalities Emmanuel received the withdrawal booklet and an ATM
card to the account. He handed the withdrawal booklet to Adeogun and
according to him, “I took the ATM card to Ora (the inmate) and I helped
him make three withdrawals from the account, until the fourth time when
the ATM machine rejected the card and I called Adeogun to bring the
withdrawal booklet, and it was that Tuesday (March 5, 2014) that Adeogun
was arrested at the bank and I came down to EFCC to see him the
following day and I was also detained for my involvement”.
During
investigation, it was gathered that the same inmate had previously
convinced one Ogunnariwo Mary, a student of Tai Solarin University of
Education, Ijebu Ode, to help him open an account with her name.
According to Mary, “I went to the Abeokuta prisons to seek for an
Industrial Attachment placement, but was told that I have to go to the
Head Office, but before I could leave, an inmate who introduced himself
as ‘Timilehin’ approached me and pleaded with me to help him open an
account for him with my name so that I can help him withdraw money
whenever his family pays in money into the account”.
She said
she went ahead to open the account in her name, and helped the inmate to
make several withdrawals, which were always collected by different men
who managed to show up each time she got a call from the inmate to go
and make a withdrawal.
This, she said, happened between December
2013 and March 5, 2014, when she was also arrested because the ATM
machine rejected the card and she went into the banking hall to lodge a
complaint and to make the withdrawal with a withdrawal slip.
Both
Adeogun and Mary Ogunnariwo were arrested the same day and at the same
bank and brought to the office of the EFCC together.
The suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.

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