Bello Azeez Olajide, a 31 years old staffer of Access Bank Plc has been arrested by the Police at the Adeniji Adele Division, Lagos Island of the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly unlawfully withdrawing the sum of N40,471,000 from the account of seven customers of the bank and converted it to his personal use.

Olajide has been charged before a Lagos Magistrate’s Court.

Police alleged that the management of the bank led by Mr Tevin Teibowei uncovered the alleged fraud through the internal forensic audit investigation unit when it audited its account and reported the matter to the Divisional Police Office, DPO in charge of Adeniji Adele Division who promptly directed his men to arrest the defendant.

After investigation by John Ekwumgbum and team, Olajide, a resident of Odunfa Street, Ogombo, Ajah, Lagos from Kwara State was charged before the Tinubu Magistrate’s Court, Lagos Island on a six-count charge bordering on fraudulent withdrawal from customers account without authority and stealing.

Ben Ekundayo, Police Counsel, informed the Court in the charge Marked TA/67/2024 that the defendant committed the offence between 21 June and 4 July 2024 at Access Bank Headquarters located on Victoria Island, Lagos.

Ekundayo told the Court that Olajide fraudulently withdrew the N40,471,000 from the account of seven customers of his employer without authority and transferred it into accounts belonging to him from where he withdrew the money and converted the money to his use.

Ekundayo further told the Court that nemesis, however, caught up with the defendant when the complainant audited its account and discovered the alleged fraud leading to his arrest.

He said the offences, the defendant committed were punishable under sections 411, 389(1)(2)(3)and 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and M.A Owunmi, Chief Magistrate,  granted him N3m bail with two sureties in like sum.

Owunmi adjourned the case for mention and ordered that the defendant be detained at the Ikoyi correctional facility till he perfected the bail conditions.

Greenwich Merchant Bank Ltd and PSRG-Richardson have partnered on the key strata of sustainability – health, safety, security and the environment to drive the nation’s economy towards robust and inclusive growth.

L-R: Dr. Okon Akiba, Medical Director/CEO Rabboni Hospitals Ltd; Mr. Kayode Falomo, Chairman of Greenwich Merchant Bank Ltd.; Dr. Dorothy Bassey, CEO/MD, Fortnum Consulting Hub/HSE Specialist; Akin Osuntoki, CEO of Richardson Oil and Gas Ltd and Adeola Ojo: Team Lead-Investment Banking at the two-day 16th edition 2024 PSRG-Richardson HSSE Forum, themed “Unlocking Economic Prosperity in Nigeria: Bridging the Gaps, held yesterday in Lagos.

This was disclosed in a press release signed and made available by the Head, Corporate Communications of the Institution, Ozena Utulu yesterday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 2024 PSRG-Richardson HSSE Forum 16th Edition, in Lagos, the Chairman of Greenwich, Mr. Kayode Falomo explained that with the complex challenges in the nation, partnerships are important for the growth and development of the economy.

According to him, at Greenwich Merchant Bank, we value the collaboration and the benefits that our strategic partnerships bring to the Nigerian economy whilst we are conscious of the importance of health, safety, security and the environment to the overall socio-economic well-being and wealth of nations.

“At GMB, we understand that our business activities and operations impact on the environment and the society in which we operate. Hence, our sustainability approach has been tailored to proactively incorporate sustainability principles into our business dealings with our clients as well as our internal practices and operations. This approach has enabled us to effectively manage the environmental and social risks associated with our business interactions and internal operations.

“We have consequently made Healthcare a central part of our CSR focus. Through our Foundation, the Greenwich Foundation, we will continue to make critical investments in healthcare infrastructures, institutions, delivery systems etc. towards ensuring a healthy population and society,” Falomo stated.

He disclosed that the pre-eminent merchant institution collaborates with clients, alliance partners, NGOs, industry groups, suppliers, and others on sustainability initiatives.

To further explain this, the chairman says, “to achieve this goal, the Board has approved a plan to ensure collaboration with clients, alliance partners, NGOs, industry groups, suppliers, and others to: increase demand for responsible products and services, remove roadblocks that get in the way of enacting change and support efforts geared at creating innovative climate solutions at a systems and operations level.”

Addressing the theme for this year’s forum, titled, “Unlocking Economic Prosperity in Nigeria: Bridging the Gaps, the CEO of Richardson Oil and Gas Ltd, Akin Osuntoki said Nigeria’s path to prosperity was hindered by several key challenges like inadequate infrastructure which limits economic efficiency; security issues that disrupt business and deter investments; over dependence on oil, which makes the economy vulnerable to global market fluctuations; and the dysfunctional Educational system that has resulted to skills gap affecting workforce productivity.

According to Osuntoki, to unlock prosperity, Nigeria must undertake a multifaceted approach to address the challenges.

He hinted on the need to prioritize investment in infrastructure, economic diversification, reformation of the educational system, strengthening governance, concretize security issues and leveraging Nigeria’s strategic location to enhance regional trade and economic cooperation to further boost growth and development.

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