Detectives attached to the International Criminal Police, INTERPOL, of the Nigeria Police have commenced investigation into the circumstances that surrounded the unlawful transfer of the sum of $180,000 at the Festac branch of Keystone bank in Lagos to a Chinese firm in spite of express instructions to halt the transfer of the funds.
Crime Alert learnt that the unlawful transaction took place in February, 2014, after a Lagos based business man, Lucky Admike of Lucky Accessories directed that the huge sum of money be transferred to the Chinese firm through the bank accounts of Ogechukwu Adaku, Chinyere Gracelyn, Oguejiofor Ifeyinwa and Esther Uchenna through their accounts with the bank at Festac branch.
It was learnt that the transfer was effected through an e-mail received on February 25, 2014 from the business man where he (the business man) instructed the transfer of $23,000 into the accounts of the Chines firm and upon effecting the transfer, his partners telephoned to inform that they had complied with the instruction to the tune of $180,000.
The story took a different dimension after the business man reportedly called later to deny giving instructions for the transfer either through mail or by any other mode of communication thus forcing those that carried out the transfer to quickly alert the bank calling for stoppage of the transfer. The bank, on receiving the alert, allegedly advised that a written instruction be submitted to that effect for the funds to be called back and also sent an e-mail to their corresponding bank instructing them to block the funds.
Sources at the bank said three days later, the bank manager called to inform that the transfer of the funds has been stopped and a “Red Flag”has been placed on the account in China. However, the source said that while the issue was still in progress, the business man petitioned the police at the Federal Anti-Robbery squad at Adeniji-Adele, Lagos for proper investigation leading to the arrest of those that transferred that account.
Solicitors to those that transferred the money, Dickson Yakubu and Associates said in a strongly worded petition to the Nigeria Bankers Committee that upon being granted bail, all the parties involved in the transaction were invited at the FEDSARS where the Deputy Commissioner of Police in-charge promised to get to the root of the matter after listening to both parties. “At the FEDSARS, the bank accepted responsibility for its negligence and indolence and agreed to pay back the sum of $180,000. The curious angle to this matter is that , immediately after the transfer was effected by the bank, the accounts officer that was involved in the transaction resigned from the bank and the same bank had not made her available to the police for questioning.
“It is well over five months since the matter was reported to the police and of all the relevant parties involved, it is only our clients who is made to report to FEDSARS while the bank which has the instrumentality of transfer of funds is suddenly out of the picture. Most importantly, it is our opinion that a matter which involves international banking fraud, particularly transfer of fund is a matter that falls squarely within the ambit of INTERPOL and not a Federal Unit of the Nigeria Police Force structured for combating robbery and allied crime.
“ In view of this, we are requesting the immediate transfer of the case to the bankers Committee to enable it conduct proper investigation through its global affiliate in tracking the perpetrators of this international fraud,” he stated. Vanguard
