Court Jails Fidelity Bank Staff for Stealing Customer’s Money

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kano Zonal Office, yesterday, secured the conviction of one Anochima Chidozie Christopher, a banker with Fidelity Bank Plc, who bagged one-year prison term for stealing from the bank customer’s account.

Justice Farouk Lawan of the Kano State High Court handed the sentence.

The Kano Zonal Office of the Commission had arraigned the convict today on two-count charges, bordering on cheating and theft to the tune of N700,000.00 (Seven Hundred Thousand), to which he pleaded guilty.

Anochima, a marketer with the bank’s Kofar Ruwa Branch and an account officer to the complainant had invited the complainant to the bank and showed him a withdrawal slip of N300,000.00 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira), which he (account officer) had completed and was only waiting for the complainant to authorize him to withdraw it from his account, pretending that he was in dire need of the money and would pay the customer back, the next day.

Instead of getting the N300,000 back, what the customer got was an additional debit alert of N400,000.00 (Four Hundred Thousand Naira) from his account, the following week.

Upon confronting Anochima, he made the bank customer yet another promise to pay the money back, but never did and all his efforts to recover the money have been in vain.

Count one of the charge reads: ”That you Anochima Chidozie Christopher on 7th May, 2019 at Kano within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Kano State, did fraudulently induce one Anayo Anaezionwu to consent that you retain the sum of N300,000.00 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira only) and thereby you committed an offence contrary to Section 320 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 322 of the same Law.”

The accused person pleaded guilty to the charges against him. In view of his plea, prosecution counsel, Salihu Sani urged the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.

J.I Macaulay, defense counsel, however, prayed the court to temper justice with mercy as the defendant was a first time offender, who has deeply regretted his action and restituted the money.

Justice Lawan convicted the defendant and sentenced him to one year imprisonment on each count charge with N30,000 option of fine for each of the counts.

The sentences run concurrently.