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Police indict Sterling Bank over money laundry, fraudulent deductions, others

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The Nigeria police on Wednesday indicted Money Deposit Bank, Sterling Bank over alleged money laundering, fraudulent deductions and other financial crimes by its staff.

This was contained in a report presented to the House of Representative Committee on Public Petition during the hearing of a petition by Maiden Systems Ltd against Sterling Bank, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Shell Petroleum in Abuja.

Miden system Ltd had petitioned the Committee on alleged mismanagement, fraudulent debit, and misappropriation of funds from its account domiciled with Sterling bank.

Presenting the report before the committee, the representative of the Inspector General of Police, Kabiru Yahaya and Sunny Amison, both Chief Inspectors of Police said after intensive investigation and arrest made on the matter, the bank was found wanting found wanting.

According to him, after arrest was made and an extensive investigation carried out, noting that the bank could not provide evidence to counter the allegations made against it by Miden System Ltd.

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He said “We were saddled with the responsibility to investigate mismanagement, fraudulent debit, and misappropriation of funds from the account of Maiden Systems Limited by Sterling Bank.

“In the course of our investigation, findings emerged about the issue of non-issuance of statement of account, fraudulent debit, and misappropriation of funds. More importantly, Maiden Systems Limited raised the issue of accounts. There are four accounts operated by Sterling Bank Plc for Maiden Systems Limited. Two are U.S. dollar accounts, while two are Nigeria NGN accounts.

“Major remittance is coming to the account of Maiden Systems Limited, to be signed with Sterling Bank, and Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited. Now, we have cutting records from Shell over the period 2017 up to 2020. Shell failed, this is our finding, Shell failed to supply the financial reports for 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

“Now, having regard to the complaint of Miden Systems that it was denied the statement of account, we interfaced with an account officer, who gave us in writing that the company is being furnished with the statement of account. And I asked how, he said electronically, or by short message service, But there is no proof. There’s no proof to debunk that aspect of the allegation.

“Secondly, we discovered from the statement of account generated by the bank, not provided by the petitioner, or its counsel, or any third party. These are accounts and statements of account generated by the bank. Ordinarily, before an investigator, we did not just call for a statement of account to just look at it and dump it.

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“We looked at it holistically and saw the grey areas where there were discrepancies or where there are questions to be raised.”

According to CSP Amison, we discovered a Debt Service Repayment Account (DSRA) where money is being used to service the loan.

The loan offer as of 2012 was $30 million. We need to understand it was restructured in 2017, with capital and interest to arrive at US$30 million.

“Having regard to the account, we, a team of detectives, started seeing debits, debits from Miden System account for loan repayment. And we took it upon ourselves to ask the account officer that first came before us to explain the loan repayment but he said it was a mere narration adopted while applying funds to the company’s loan account. We found this very vague and ambiguous.

“We discovered that about US$28.3 million was debited from this company’s account for loan repayment but there’s no explanation.

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“Particularly, on the 29th, September 2016, the sum of US$2,413,000 was debited from the company’s account. Account number 00148517716 for loan repayment with reference FT16271UZYO. On 14th, November 2016, the sum of US$1.256 million was equally debited from this same account for loan repayment.

“While on the 16th of January 2017, the sum of US$28,302,140.59 was debited from the company’s account for loan repayment. And like I said, we’ve waited for the bank to provide account officers who have managed this account to throw more light on this. It is not our document.

“It is their own document. The facts are before them. If somebody has managed that account before and is no longer an account officer, they could call them, provide names since they are no longer in the bank.

“One of the account officers specifically wrote that the outstanding balance was about US$27.25 million, while the executive director gave us a figure of over US$30 million. That is to say, nothing has been paid, nothing has been debited to clear the loan.

“We equally discovered what the bank captured in the statement of account, in-branch transfer, account to account. And we asked, what does the bank or the account officers mean by in-branch transfer, account to account?

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“We have come up with the recommendation that, since the bank has failed to provide evidence for itself to debunk the allegation raised by Median Systems , evidence as used so far from their own statement of account corroborates the offences alleged. Financial mismanagement, Fraudulent debit, misappropriation of funds and more importantly, when funds are being moved that way, if you go deeper, money laundering. We could not even go deeply towards the petitioner raising their petition.

Responding, the Chairman of the Committee, Mike Etaba assured both parties that the report will be studied by the Committee and justice served.

“At the committee level, we will look at the Police report and I assure us that justice will prevail,” Etaba assured.

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Crime

Anambra Police Debunk Involvement In Death Of Suspect

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By Okey Maduforo Awka

Anambra Police Command has debunked the allegation that it’s officers and men had hand in the mysterious death of one Mr Paul Onwualu at Npkor in Idemili North local government area.

The Police which confirmed the arrest of the suspect however explained that preliminary investigations has so far shown that there complications in the health status of the deceased leading to his demise .

SP Tochukwu Ikenga ,who is the Public Relations Officer of the Command stated in a release that ;

“The Anambra State Police Command wishes to inform the public that it has commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate death of the late Mr Paul Onwualu in Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State”

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“Preliminary information available to the Command reveals that the officers allegedly involved in the arrest before the sudden complication of the deceased’s health, which later led to his death, have been identified, but are not operatives attached to the Anambra State Police Command”

“The Command assures Ndi Anambra and members of the public that the matter is being handled with the seriousness it deserves to ascertain the facts surrounding the unfortunate incident”

“The Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu fwc mnips PhD, urges residents to remain calm and allow the ongoing investigation to run its course, while reaffirming the Command’s commitment to transparency, professionalism, and the protection of lives and property.” he said.

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Crime

Woman Beats Stepdaughter to Death in Enugu 

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Police detectives in Enugu have arrested a stepmother, Mrs. Ogechi John, for allegedly beating her stepdaughter to death.
Mrs. John, who hails from Oderiko in Ikwo LGA of Ebonyi State, was arrested by the police on Monday morning for allegedly beating her stepdaughter, Miss Ogechi Amanda John, aged 9, to death at their Nchatancha residence in the Emene area of Enugu metropolis.

Neighbours reported that the event allegedly occurred around 3pm on Sunday, noting that the late Miss Amanda had been a victim of constant and ruthless maltreatment at the hands of her stepmother.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Enugu State, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, has expressed the state government’s anger over the incident, saying it would not relent until justice is done.

“It is on record that the Governor Peter Mbah Administration has zero tolerance for any form of child abuse, let alone child homicide. So, we swung into action on learning about this tragedy to ensure that the suspect was arrested.

“But it doesn’t end there. We will be pressing for thorough and expedited investigation to ensure that justice is not just done, but done really fast.

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“Nobody should take another’s life and certainly not the life of any child in Enugu State. We condemn it in totality,” she stated.

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Crime

Fake Pastors Arrested in Anambra as Soludo Begins Crackdown

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By Okey Maduforo, Awka
As suspected fake native doctors continue to face the long arm of the law in Anambra State, the government has now commenced a crackdown on alleged fake pastors who preach salvation without the gospel.
Already, scores of suspected fake pastors are reportedly in custody, with some said to have confessed to deceiving unsuspecting members of the public.
Governor Charles Soludo disclosed this during this year’s All Knights Day celebration held at St. Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral.
In a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Christian Aburime, the governor said:
“The Governor also revealed an ongoing crackdown on fake pastors who exploit the vulnerable by preaching a gospel of ‘salvation without the cross,’ confirming that several are already in custody and confessing.”
He emphasized that a “New Anambra” is emerging and must be rid of deception and criminality, while reinforcing the church’s teaching that hard work remains the pathway to success.
The statement further read:
“In a firm demonstration of fiscal discipline, Governor Soludo granted a request from the Knights to support their charity visits to orphanages but declined a request for public funds to sew uniforms, stating he would not deploy state resources for private institutional regalia.”
The governor also urged the Knights to remain “the light of the world and the salt of the earth” by living according to principles rather than titles.
The event featured a Pontifical Mass celebrated by the Catholic Bishop of Awka, Paulinus Ezeokafor, while the homily was delivered by the Diocesan Secretary, Rev. Fr. Evaristus Iheanacho.
In his sermon, Iheanacho reflected on the work of the Holy Spirit, describing knighthood as a process of “sober reflection, stock-taking, and reckoning” guided by strict tenets and discipline.
He reminded the Knights that true love for Christ is demonstrated through obedience to His commandments, discipline, humility, and courage.
The cleric also cautioned against elitist isolation, urging the Knights to remain connected with the people and preserve their human face and prophetic voice within the community.

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Anambra Police Burst Gunmen Armoury in Orumba

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By Okey Maduforo, Awka
The Violent Crime Response Unit of the Anambra State Police Command has uncovered and destroyed an armoury belonging to suspected separatist gunmen at Owerre-Ezukala in Orumba South Local Government Area.
The operation, led by Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Orebe Chidubem Matthew, followed intelligence obtained from a member of the gang currently in police custody.
In a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the police disclosed that the camp had previously been dislodged by a Joint Task Force on security operations. However, some members of the gang who escaped during the earlier raid reportedly regrouped and attempted to resume operations.
According to the statement, items recovered from the armoury include one General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) with about 2,000 rounds of live chain ammunition, two fabricated rocket launchers with 25 propellers, 10 locally-made Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), one locally-made Beretta pistol, two pump-action guns, three hand grenades, 10 rounds of K2 live ammunition, one gas cylinder, and one black Ecolac box.
“Recall that the camp was earlier destroyed by a Joint Security Team. Before the confession by the suspect in custody, intelligence had been received over time on how some escaped gang members were attempting to regroup. However, operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit resisted and dismantled the camp following a gun duel with the unrepentant members,” the statement read.
The police further stated that some of the armed suspects fled the scene with varying degrees of bullet injuries sustained during the exchange of gunfire.
Further investigations revealed that the suspect in custody confessed to involvement in several violent attacks across Anambra State, including attacks on police facilities, the killing of security personnel comprising police, military, and civil defence officers, attacks on government facilities, and the murder of security operatives on stop-and-search duties on various roads in the state.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, noted that with the establishment of the Violent Crime Response Unit, operatives of the command are now better positioned and more motivated to sustain offensive operations against criminal elements threatening the peace and security of the state.

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Crime

Enugu Assembly Orders Salary Suspension Over Alleged Land Fraud

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The Enugu State House of Assembly has ordered the immediate suspension of the salary of Dr. Kate Okolo, a staff member of the Enugu State College of Education, over her alleged involvement in a controversial land deal.
The directive was issued on Tuesday in Enugu by the Chairman of the House Special Committee on Land Conflicts, Mr. Okey Mbah, as part of an ongoing investigation into a decade-long land fraud.
Mbah emphasized that the suspension is not a witch-hunt but a clear signal that the era of impunity in land administration in the state is over.
The committee, currently probing petitions from staff of the institution and members of the public, accused key figures in the Women in College of Education Organisation (WICE) of engaging in land racketeering and fraudulent sales.
According to petitioners, the scheme—introduced between 2009 and 2011 under the leadership of the late Mrs. Ugoma Ndubisi and Dr. Okolo—encouraged individuals to market plots of land known as “WICE Land” to colleagues, friends, and family members.
One victim, who pleaded anonymity, told lawmakers they invested in the scheme because it was presented as a credible internal arrangement.
“We paid in full and have receipts, but for over 13 years, we have not been allocated any land,” the petitioner said.
Testimonies further revealed that the situation worsened following the death of Mrs. Ndubisi, with allegations that Dr. Okolo altered the original terms of the transactions.
“She changed the name from Ukano to Ukano Bold, increased the prices, reduced plot sizes, and claimed that many of us did not pay.
“We are now being asked to pay again for land we already purchased.
“All we want is either our land or our money back,” another petitioner stated.
In response, Mbah assured the petitioners that the Assembly remains committed to ensuring justice.
“We have listened to your grievances, and this committee will see this matter through to a logical conclusion.
“No one found culpable will be shielded,” he said.

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