Femi Ashekun/
A Lagos High Court has sentenced a Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) driver, Christopher Ekene Ofielu, to 18 months in prison for stealing N6.9 million through an unauthorised electronic transfer.
Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Special Offences Court, Ikeja, handed down the sentence on Monday, October 20, after Ofielu, 39, pleaded guilty to a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing, and possession of stolen funds.
According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ofielu took advantage of a system glitch in the HabariPay payment platform to withdraw N6,995,944 illegally.
The funds were traced to his Access Bank account, which investigators said he had linked to his HabariPay Squad account created specifically for the fraudulent transaction.
EFCC investigator, Adams Adze, told the court that the agency acted on a petition from HabariPay Ltd dated September 26, 2023, which detailed how the stolen money was diverted.
Following his guilty plea, prosecution counsel, Abubakar Dambuwa, informed the court that Ofielu had entered into a plea bargain agreement with the Commission.
Defence counsel, Mercy Akhabue, pleaded for leniency, describing the defendant as a remorseful, first-time offender.
In his ruling, Justice Oshodi convicted Ofielu on the count of stealing and sentenced him to 18 months imprisonment.
The court, however, gave him an option of a N1.5 million fine, on the condition that he fully restitutes the stolen N6,995,944 to HabariPay Ltd within seven days from his Access Bank account.
The judge also ordered the restoration of the convict’s salary account with Ecobank and directed that his biometric details be entered into the Lagos State offenders’ register.
Ofielu was remanded in EFCC custody pending the completion of restitution and other documentation.
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