Two Enugu ex-bankers jailed 12 years for diverting pension funds

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The Enugu State High Court on Friday sentenced two former bankers, Sani Aferokhe and Hillary Odo, to a combined 12-year jail term for criminally diverting N10.3m belonging to pensioners.

The duo was convicted on a 15-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery and stealing of the said sum.

According to a statement released on Wednesday on the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the conviction was secured by the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the EFCC before Justice A. O. Onovo.

The EFCC said the convicts were former employees of Intercontinental Bank Plc, now known as Access Bank Plc.

The statement added that they were arraigned on January 18, 2016, on a 15-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery and stealing.

The EFCC noted that the offences were contrary to Section 459(a) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 30, Laws of Enugu State of Nigeria, 2004.

One of the charges stated that the convicts, on or about November 21, 2012, in Nsukka, while serving as employees of Intercontinental Bank Plc, now Access Bank Plc, stole the sum of N4.4m from a customer’s account, an offence contrary to Section 459(a) of the Criminal Code Law of Enugu State.

Another charge alleged that Sani Aferokhe and Hillary Odo, on or about October 12, 2012, in Nsukka, while still employees of Intercontinental Bank Plc, now Access Bank Plc, stole N2.1m from a customer’s account domiciled with the bank, thereby committing an offence under the law.

The statement said Justice A. O. Onovo, in delivering the judgment, dismissed counts six and nine but found the defendants guilty on several other counts.

The EFCC disclosed that the court convicted Hillary Odo on counts four and seven and sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment on each count, with an option of a N100,000 fine per count.

Sani Aferokhe, on the other hand, was convicted on 11 counts and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on each count, except count 15, which attracted a three-year jail term, all with an option of a N100,000 fine per count.

The EFCC said the convictions underscored its commitment to protecting vulnerable citizens, particularly pensioners, from financial exploitation.

The commission added that the judgment sends “a strong warning to bank officials who abuse positions of trust for personal gain.”

PUNCH Metro has also reported several cases of bank employees prosecuted by the EFCC for fraud-related offences, including the diversion of customers’ funds and the manipulation of dormant accounts.

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