Banker Forges Customers’ Signatures, Withdraws N.77 Million And Then Disappear

News that recently hit the media waves about how over fifty Nigerian bank bosses were charged for various corrupt practices in 2011, raised a lot of questions about the safety of people’s monies in the hands of these crooks.
 However, in a fresh development, an employee of the Life Gate Microfinance Bank, Olalekan Salako, on Thursday appeared before an Ogudu Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos over alleged stealing of N777, 680 from customers’ accounts. Thirty-two-year-old Salako, who lives at 3, Salako St., Ijede Road, Ikorodu, is facing a three-count charge of stealing, forgery and unlawful withdrawal of money.

Police prosecutor, Cpl. Kemi Adeniran, said that Salako, a marketer, forged signatures of two customers of the bank with which he unlawfully withdrew the sum from their accounts. Adeniran said the suspect forged the signatures of Mrs Sukurat Sodiq and Mrs Idayat Owolabi on March 13 without their consent.

According to Adeniran, “On that date, Salako obtained the sum of N777, 680 by withdrawing it from Sodiq and Owolabi’s accounts with the bank… After the incident, Salako absconded from work and went at large… Then, the bank’s management started suspecting, and finally discovered when the two customers wanted to withdraw money from their accounts but could not,” Adeniran said.

However, the police later arrested Salako at Ewu Elepe, Ijede in Ikorodu. The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty, and was granted bail by Chief Magistrate I.O. Aje-Afunwa in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum. Aje-Afunwa adjourned the case till Dec. 17 for substantive trial.