First Bank's Security man breaks ATM, steals N12m

A security man and employee of First Bank Nigeria Plc, Jibowu Branch, Seyi Jaiyeola, is standing trial at a magistrate’s court in Ebute Meta for allegedly breaking the company’s automated teller machine and stealing a sum of N12, 533,900.

The bank’s branch Service Manager, Mr. Kayode Aiyewunmi, who gave evidence in court, said Jaiyeola was on a N20, 000 monthly pay and was a member of the Odua People’s Congress.

He said the company had observed that one of the bank’s four ATMs was having a reconciliation problem and had employed the service of an expert to help unravel mysterious disappearances of money.

Aiyewunmi said, “We discovered that there was always a shortage of cash in the machine.

“Despite our reconciliation efforts, the ATM was still having problems and we engaged the service of an expert who submitted his report and said the machine did not have any reconciliation issue.

“He said somebody was breaking into the machine in the middle of the night to steal the cash.

“I reported the matter to my boss, who said I should conduct an investigation into  the matter. “When the last breakage happened, we went to play back the branch’s CCTV, and we now saw Jaiyeola in the middle of the night, opening the window at the back of my office. There’s a control panel which controls the security door, which he touched. So, the CCTV stopped.”

He said it was at that point the company concluded he was the brain behind the theft.

He said after the matter was reported at the Onipanu Police station, and the accused was arrested, he led them to his house, where he allegedly confessed to the crime.

Aiyewunmi said, “When we got to his house for a search, we recovered N243,945 cash. The police then asked him what else he did with the money. He said he bought a car, which was parked at the house there, a Toyota Corolla. Then we recovered a new generator. He also took the police to the building he was constructing which was near completion.” He said after recovering the item, First Bank transferred the matter to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba.

Jaiyeola was arraigned on a five counts of fraud and stealing and was subsequently granted bail in the sum of N1m with two sureties in like sum.

The prosecution counsel, Mr. Ishola Samuel, asked for an adjournment to help source some  legal citations.

The magistrate, Mrs. M.O Tanimola, adjourned the matter till July 15.