EFCC arrests two former Union Bank staff for stealing dead customer’s N4.2m

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has announced the arrest of two former Union Bank employees in Makurdi, Benue State, accused of stealing N4,199,500 from a deceased customer’s account.

Dele Oyewale, the spokesperson for the EFCC, disclosed this in a statement released yesterday in Abuja.

The suspects, identified as Idah Ogoh and Agbo Okwute, were arrested on Friday following a petition by Union Bank concerning fraudulent activities linked to the account of the late Emmanuel Azer Agenna.

The fraudulent activities came to light when the deceased’s family contacted the bank to verify the account balance for probate processing. Upon discovering discrepancies in the balance provided by the bank, the family filed a complaint about unauthorized debits.

An internal investigation by the bank revealed that a debit card linked to the deceased’s account had been fraudulently issued on May 10, 2023. This card was used for multiple unauthorized transactions, resulting in significant withdrawals from the account.

EFCC spokesperson Oyewale explained, “Their arrest followed a petition from the bank regarding fraudulent debits on the account of deceased customer Emmanuel Azer Agenna. The fraudulent activities were uncovered when the deceased’s family requested the account balance for probate processing and disputed the balance given by the bank, leading to a complaint about unauthorized debits.”

Further investigation by the bank revealed that the debit card procured by Ogoh was handed over to another Sales and Service Associate, Agbo Okwute, who then delivered the card to an accomplice for transferring and withdrawing funds from the deceased’s account. Several withdrawals were allegedly made by the suspects through the accomplice.

“The suspects will be charged to court as soon as the investigations are concluded,” Oyewale added.