Micro Finance Loan officer on trial for defrauding employer N1.3m

The Police on Thursday arraigned a loan officer with a Micro Finance Bank, Ngozi Ogunbiyi, 45, at a Magistrates Court in Ogudu, Lagos State, on the allegation of defrauding her employer of about N1.3 million.

The police charged Ogunbiyi, residing in Ebute-Metta, Lagos State, with obtaining money under false pretence, stealing and forgery. She pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Prosecution Counsel, Inspector Sunday Bassey, informed the court that the defendant committed the offence between December 1 and 30, 2021 at Beyond Microfinance Bank, Ile-Ile Ketu, Lagos.

Bassey said that the defendant, a loan officer in the bank while in service, fraudulently collected money to the tune of N1,392,530 from some of the bank’s customers without remitting the money to the bank’s accounts.

The police alleged that the defendant unlawfully forged and manipulated the said customers transaction on the system and replaced them with another information to cover up the crime.

Bassey told the court that police arrested the defendant after receiving complaint from the head of operations in the bank, Benjamin Imiafoh.

The prosecutor argued that the offence contravened the provisions of sections 287, 314(1)(a) and 376(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

Section 287 and 376(1) stipulates three years imprisonment for stealing and forgery, while Section 314 prescribes 15 years for obtaining money under false pretenses for any convicted offender.

Magistrate M.O Tanimola, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum.

Tanimola ordered that the sureties should be gainfully employed with one of them being a blood relative.

She further ordered that the sureties should show evidence of two years tax payments to the Lagos State Government as part of the bail conditions.

She adjourned the case to September 12 for mention.