Two bank officials have told the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, how over N200 million was paid into the account of a self-professed army general being prosecuted for fraud by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
EFCC is prosecuting Bolarinwa Abiodun on 13 counts of obtaining money by false pretence and fraud.
He allegedly defrauded the complainant of about N266 million by posing as a son of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The commission presented Chris Ekpe, a compliance officer with First Bank, and Emmanuel Emaikwo, a Relationship Manager with United Bank for Africa (UBA), to testify as prosecution witnesses in the trial on Wednesday.
According to the statement issued by the EFCC’s spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, Thursday, the witnesses confirmed the various transactions carried out on the defendant’s accounts with their respective banks.
Led in evidence by the prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, Mr Ekpe, who testified as the second prosecution witness, told the court that the defendant effected a change of name on his bank account before he began using it to defraud his victim, Bamidele Safiriyu.
The witness also told the court that the bank, on February 2, 2017, received a notary publication dated December 20, 2016, with a letter of change of account name from Hassan Kareem Ayinde to Olusegun Abiodun Bolarinwa.
“The account balance of the defendant as at the time of the change of account name was N1,319.04,” he added.
According to the witness, after the change of name, huge sums of money started coming into the defendant’s account.
Thereafter, the prosecution tendered in evidence the EFCC letter of request sent to the bank, Certificate of Compliance and Identification, the response from the bank, and the account records of the defendant.
The court admitted the documents as exhibits, as there was no objection from the defence counsel, Kayode Lawal.
Testifying as the third witness, Mr Emaikwo similarly confirmed the various transactions carried out on the defendant’s account with UBA.
Afterwards, the prosecution sought a short adjournment to enable it to bring the investigative officer and a representative of the Nigeria Army to testify against the defendant.
The judge, Oluwatoyin Taiwo, adjourned the case until May 6 and 10.
PREMIUM TIMES had reported how Mr Safiriyu testified in April how the defendant allegedly defrauded him by posing as Mr Obasanjo’s son.
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