The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday May 3, 2017 obtained the conviction of one Adekunle Yakub Asuni who has been sentenced to four years imprisonment without any option of fine by Justice I. B. Gafai of the Federal High Court Akwa Anambra State for attempting to transfer the sum of (N7,000.000.00) Seven million naira belonging to a customer of a new generation bank.
Asuani who was earlier arraigned on Monday 11 April, 2016 on a four count charge of attempted stealing contrary to section 8 (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act. 2006, had pleaded not guilty to the charge leading to the trial.
According to investigations by operatives of the commission, officials of the bank stated that Adekunle gave his name as Abdullahi Adamu with funds transfer form requesting to transfer the sum of N7,000.000.00 (Seven Million Naira only) from account No, 0046119649Abdullahi Adamu to account No, 0020220860 belonging to Salisu Abubakar all in the same bank.
Suspecting foul play, the branch manager asked the suspect to sign on the transfer form again, but he said that he couldn’t sign that his PA signs for him, he was asked to call his PA, and he requested to make the call outside the bank premises. His intention was blown open when he was asked the last he withdrew money from the account but he could not provide an answer which led to his subsequent arrest and further investigation.
In his ruling, Justice Gafai had held that it would have been naivety on the part of the defendant to think that the court would believe that he never took part in series of event leading to the commission of the offence in the face of overwhelming evidence that refutes all his claim.
The trial judge had actually discharged him on the fourth count bothering on altering of transfer form and sentenced him to three years on the first count, four years on second count and three years on the third count all to run concurrently.
One of the counts read:
That you Adekunle Yakub Asuni on the 4th of March, 2016 at Akwa within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria attempted to induce Access Bank Plc to deliver/transfer the sum of N7,000.000.00 (Seven Million Naria) from account No, 0046119649 in the name of Abdullahi Adamu to account No, 0020220860 belonging to Salisu Abubakar on the claim that you are Abdullahi Adamu, a pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 8(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under section 1(3)of the same Act.
