Ex-banker in Police net over N14m ‘theft’

The Police in the FCT have arrested a former staff of a new generation bank, Emmanuel Emeka Onuma, for allegedly stealing the sum of N14million from ATM gallery of one of the bank’s branches in Abuja.

Onuma, who claimed to have been wrongly dismissed by the bank after 11 years in its employ, said he stole from the bank because he was not paid a dime after his dismissal despite his years of service.

Parading the suspect before journalists, yesterday at the command headquarters, Abuja, Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, ACP Valentine Olumese, said that the suspect converted some of the money to foreign currency for ease of movement.

ACP Olumese said that: “On 1st November, 2018, in furtherance with an on-going investigation, Police operatives attached to Garki Division arrested one Emmanuel Emeka Onuma, 34, who broke into the ATM lobby of a bank, located in Garki, on October 19, 2018, at about 12 midnight and stole the sum of N14 million.

“The suspect, who was an employee of the bank before he was sacked in August this year for fraudulent activities, confessed that he acted alone.

“According to him, some of the money he stole from the bank were converted to foreign currency $33,000, at Abuja and Kaduna, for ease of movement. Upon his arrest, the cash sum of $28,000, N1,650,120 and nine pieces of Ghana cedes were recovered from him. Other exhibits recovered from him include one new SIM card and AZMAN flight tickets.”

Fielding questions from journalists, the suspect said: “I worked with the bank for about eleven years and I was dismissed unjustly without pay and benefit. There is no justification for doing what I did but I did it because they didn’t pay after eleven years of service.”

The suspect was paraded alongside 14 other suspects for armed robbery, murder, motorcycle snatching and other crimes.

They include Iliyasu Omika, who allegdly disguises as a lady at a Brothel in Mpape and lures men extort them.

The Police said that: “On November 5, 2018, at about 0500hrs based on information, Police operatives from Mpape Division arrested one Iliyasu Omika, 22, of Tungan Maje at a Brothel in Mpape.

“The suspect who disguised as a lady to lure men at nightclubs for amorous relationships was arrested after his supposed client raised alarm upon discovering that he was actually a man and not a woman as he claimed.”

The Police said the suspects would be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigation.

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