A security man and employee of First Bank Nigeria Plc, Jibowu
Branch, Seyi Jaiyeola, is standing trial at a magistrate’s court in
Ebute Meta for allegedly breaking the company’s automated teller machine
and stealing a sum of N12, 533,900.
The
bank’s branch Service Manager, Mr. Kayode Aiyewunmi, who gave evidence
in court, said Jaiyeola was on a N20, 000 monthly pay and was a member
of the Odua People’s Congress.
He said the company had observed
that one of the bank’s four ATMs was having a reconciliation problem and
had employed the service of an expert to help unravel mysterious
disappearances of money.
Aiyewunmi said, “We discovered that there was always a shortage of cash in the machine.
“Despite
our reconciliation efforts, the ATM was still having problems and we
engaged the service of an expert who submitted his report and said the
machine did not have any reconciliation issue.
“He said somebody was breaking into the machine in the middle of the night to steal the cash.
“I
reported the matter to my boss, who said I should conduct an
investigation into the matter. “When the last breakage happened, we
went to play back the branch’s CCTV, and we now saw Jaiyeola in the
middle of the night, opening the window at the back of my office.
There’s a control panel which controls the security door, which he
touched. So, the CCTV stopped.”
He said it was at that point the company concluded he was the brain behind the theft.
He
said after the matter was reported at the Onipanu Police station, and
the accused was arrested, he led them to his house, where he allegedly
confessed to the crime.
Aiyewunmi said, “When we got to his house
for a search, we recovered N243,945 cash. The police then asked him what
else he did with the money. He said he bought a car, which was parked
at the house there, a Toyota Corolla. Then we recovered a new generator.
He also took the police to the building he was constructing which was
near completion.” He said after recovering the item, First Bank
transferred the matter to the State Criminal Investigation Department,
Yaba.
Jaiyeola was arraigned on a five counts of fraud and
stealing and was subsequently granted bail in the sum of N1m with two
sureties in like sum.
The prosecution counsel, Mr. Ishola Samuel, asked for an adjournment to help source some legal citations.
The magistrate, Mrs. M.O Tanimola, adjourned the matter till July 15.
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