A former banker, Jamiu Odunayo, who was accused of diverting N8.9 million from a bank customer has been sentenced to 115 years behind bars by a Lagos High Court.
The convict was sentenced without an option of fine.
A statement by the spokesperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Wilson Uwujaren, said Odunayo was sentenced by Justice Adebisi Akinlade to three years on each of the 39-count amended charges preferred against him by the EFCC. They are to run concurrently and start from when he was arrested.
“The journey to prison began on May 19, 2011, when the commission received a petition from a bank, alleging that one of its staff who was a Cash Pick up Officer to one of its customers, did not credit the customer’s account. The customer alerted the bank when she discovered that the sum of N8, 829,650 was not credited into her account. The convict consequently absconded from his duty post to evade arrest.
“However, Odunayo in his statement, stated that he started stealing from the customer’s account in November 2010, due to delay in payment of his salary. He started with N50,000 and later increased it till it reached the sum of N848, 690.
“The convicts confessed that he used part of the money for his wedding; built a four-bedroom bungalow in Mowe, Ogun State; bought a car, and used the rest for clubbing.”
The statement added that the convict had earlier pleaded not guilty to the 39-count charge that was preferred against him but later changed his plea, following a plea bargain.
