A Kaduna State High Court has convicted and sentenced two former officials of Access Bank Plc to prison for theft involving funds linked to the federal government’s palliative scheme.
The convicts – Obadofin Daniel Bamise and Hadiza Oyiza Yakubu were prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice A.A. Bello of the Kaduna State High Court sitting in Kaduna.
According to the anti-graft agency, the defendants were arraigned on separate one-count charges bordering on theft committed while serving as employees of the bank.
The EFCC alleged that Obadofin stole N433,000 between November 5, 2024 and January 23, 2025, while Yakubu was accused of stealing N806,000 within the same period.
Both defendants pleaded guilty to the charges.
Following their pleas, prosecution counsel, the court was urged to convict and sentence them accordingly.
Justice Bello subsequently sentenced the two convicts to seven years imprisonment each, with an option of N50,000 fine respectively.
The commission disclosed that investigations revealed that the convicts carried out unauthorised withdrawals from the accounts of 305 customers who were beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s palliative scheme.
According to the EFCC, the withdrawals amounted to N7,842,700 and were allegedly posted into accounts belonging to coordinators of the palliative scheme.
The commission said the offences contravened Section 274 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017