•Convict’s house to be sold for restitution
A former bank cashier, Ebenezer Adeolu Alonge alongside his wife, Isakunle Olamide Oyinlola and his mother-in- law, Isakunle Eunice Moradeke, have been convicted and sentenced to 60 years imprisonment on a 12-count charge of conspiracy and stealing.
The offence is contrary to section 390(9) of the Criminal Code Laws Cap 16 Laws of Ekiti State,2012, brought against them by the Ibadan Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Adekanye Ogunmoye of Ekiti State High Court, Ado Ekiti, pronounced the judgement on Friday, July 23, 2021.
Justice Ogunmoye, in his judgement, ruled that the prosecution team, led by Abdulrasheed Lanre Suleiman, proved their case beyond reasonable doubt, and that the convicts had failed to extricate themselves from the self-evidenced proofs before the court.
The EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, had disclosed that the Commission, in the course of trial, called two witnesses and tendered several exhibits to prove their case.
The convicts were found guilty on all the 12-count charge and sentenced to five years on each count. The cumulative 60 years prison terms would, however, run concurrently.
Thenewsbearer learnt that the journey to the dock started when the illicit activities of Alonge got exposed through a petition to the EFCC from one of the new generation banks, alleging that one of its staff, identified as Ebenezer Adeolu Alonge, was involved in fraudulent activities.
It was alleged that sometime in February 2018, the bank received a complaint concerning the financial impropriety of the sum of N62, 400.00 in respect of a customer’s account.
According to the petitioner, on February 15, 2017, a customer lodged the said sum into her account but the transaction could not be traced in the customer’s account, even after the customer presented a copy of the slip signed by Alonge.
In the course of investigation, the said transaction was allegedly traced to Alonge’s wife’s account.
Further investigation had revealed that there was a turnover of over N21 million as deposit from other customers in his wife’s account. Also, it was alleged that other sums were traced to his mother-in-law’s account, who was also a beneficiary of the fraudulent act.
The court also ordered Alonge to forfeit his house, which shall be sold and the proceeds used to restitute the bank.
