Bank worker, two others steal N4 million from Australia-based Nigerian – Police

The police in Enugu State have arrested a bank worker and two others who allegedly conspired to steal N4 million from a Nigerian based in Australia.

The bank worker, Ifeanyi Nnamani, allegedly colluded with two others: Okwudili Ndulaka, 26, and Philip Ozogwu, 44, to commit the crime.

The police spokesperson in Enugu State, Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday night.

How it happened

Mr Ndukwe, a deputy superintendent of police, said Mr Ndulaka has confessed to committing the alleged crime.

He gave the name of the victim who owns the bank account as John Mba.

The police spokesperson said Mr Ndulaka claimed that, in October 2023, he found a bag containing various personal items at Nowas Junction in Trans-Ekulu, Enugu.

According to the police, he claimed the items in the bag included SIM cards from different telecommunications networks.

Mr Ndulaka reportedly said that in January 2024, he inserted an Airtel SIM card found in the bag into his phone and received a huge credit alert which prompted him to start withdrawing the money from the owner’s account using the USSD banking code.

He said, in September 2024, he faced difficulties accessing the account which prompted him to visit the Enugu branch of the commercial bank (name withheld).

“There, he colluded with Ifeanyi Nnamani, an employee of the bank with 17 years of service, who informed him that the account was on Post No Debit status.

“Nnamani advised Okwudili (Ndulaka) to obtain a court affidavit and modify his National Identification Number (NIN) details to match those of the account’s legitimate owner, John Mba to gain access to the account,” the police said.

Mr Ndukwe said Mr Ndulaka subsequently contracted Mr Ozogwu, a NIN enrolment agent, who illegally changed his name, date of birth and other personal details on his NIN data to match the victim’s data.

The spokesperson said Mr Ozogwu, who was paid N40, 000 for the “service,” carried out the alterations without questioning Mr Ndulaka’s intentions.

He said with this altered data, Mr Nnamani, the bank worker, facilitated the fraudulent reactivation of the account, bypassing verification checks, including the Bank Verification Number (BVN) link.

Mr Ndukwe said after the fraudulent reactivation of the account, Mr Ndulaka immediately withdrew N100,000 and gave half of it to Mr Nnamani as “payment” for his role.

“He later withdrew an additional N1.5 million which triggered an alert from the bank’s Ohafia, Abia State, branch, where the account was originally opened.

“This led to the detection of the fraud and the consequent reporting of the case to the police by the Enugu branch management of the bank,” the police said.

Arrest

Mr Ndukwe said the suspects were arrested after Mr Ndulaka attempted another transaction at the bank on 18 October.

He said police operatives from the Central Police Station in Enugu State arrested the suspects.

The statement suggested that Mr Nnamani, the bank worker, had been sacked from the bank.

Arraignment and remand

Mr Ndukwe said the three suspects have been charged with conspiracy, identity theft, forgery and fraud at the Enugu North Magistrate Court in Enugu State.

He said two of the defendants – Messrs Ndulaka and Nnamani – were remanded at the Nigerian Correctional Custodial Centre.

The police spokesperson said the NIN enrolment agent, Mr Ozogwu, was granted bail pending further proceedings.

He added that the case file was transmitted to the attorney-general of Enugu State, through the Director of Public Prosecutions for legal advice.

Praise for the bank, warning to Nigerians

The Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Kanayo Uzuegbu, has commended the bank for its cooperation in exposing the fraudulent activity, Mr Ndukwe said.

Mr Uzuegbu urged Nigerians to exercise caution in managing their personal information.

The police chief enjoined them to secure their devices, which house their sensitive data, to prevent them from becoming victims of similar crimes.