The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Makurdi Zonal Office, has secured the conviction of one, Ikechukwu Sunday Onovo, an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) fraudster.
The Commission had arrested, investigated and arraigned Onovo at the Federal High Court, Makurdi, presided over by Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon on a one-count amended charge of stealing an electronic card showing details of a Union Bank Debit Card issued in the name of Mukhtar Ali with Account No. 0046285378 and withdrew the sum of N390,000.00 from the said account, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 33(3) of the Cybercrime (prohibition prevention Etc.) Act, 2015.”
Following the plea bargain arrangements between him and the commission, he, Onovo, was arraigned on the one- punt amended charge that replaced the initial charge against him.
When the charge was read to him, he pleaded guilty to it.
In view of his plea, the Prosecuting Counsel, Mary Onoja, urged the court to accept the plea bargain and convict him accordingly.
Justice Olajuwon therefore, pronounced him guilty and convicted him accordingly. He also ordered that the convict should pay a fine of N500,000 to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
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The convict was also ordered to return the cumulative sum of N390,000 as restitution to the victim.
It equally ordered that Onovo forfeits his Peugeot 406 car with Registration Number Kano AR 163 FGE with Chassis number 845780 to the Federal Government as proceeds of crime.
He was remanded in prison custody pending the payment of his fine.
It would be recalled that a petition was written to the EFCC by the victim against Union Bank Branch, in Makurdi, who alleged that he has an account with the bank and that he sent his two brothers to withdraw money using ATM card from a machine located at the post office branch.
The victim stated in the petition that on reaching the bank, ATM machine, seized the card and they entered the banking hall to complain but were told that the officer in charge was not around to attend to them, so, they should come back the next day.
According to him, after a while he received a debit alert of N390,000 from his account to an unknown account.
Following investigations, the convict was arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on May 2, 2019 at First Bank Plc premises Otukpo, Benue state in relation to a case of ATM theft of the sum of N390,000.00 from the Union Bank account of one Muktar Ali, with account number 0046285378.