Driver Steals UNILAG Lecturer’s ATM Card, Withdraws N2.7m

A driver, Mayowa Adenuga, has been arrested by

operatives of the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly stealing his boss' Automated Teller

Machine card and withdrawing over N2.7m.

Also arrested were suspected accomplices in the

crime – Adewale Opeyemi, 18, and Jeremiah

Iyitoye, 29.

Our source gathered that 25-year-old Adenuga,

who is also a computer expert, was employed as

a driver by a lecturer at UNILAG, Prof. Simbo

Banjoko. It was learnt that the suspect had driven Banjoko to the Bells University on the day of the incident. While waiting for his boss on the university premises, the driver found Banjoko's Zenith Bank ATM card in the car and hid it. Our correspondent gathered that when the victim did not notice that his ATM card was missing, Adenuga used software to uncover the card's PIN code.

After withdrawing N200,000 from the bank

account through the ATM, he allegedly bought

four iPhones, valued at N495,000; one Macbook

laptop, valued at N415,000; 10 wristwatches, a

Blackberry and a ring.

It was learnt that a total of N2,728,255 was

withdrawn from the victim's bank account.

The theft of the ATM card was said to have been

referred to the Rapid Response Squad, which

later transferred the case to the Anti-Vice Section

of the State Criminal Investigation and

Intelligence Department, Yaba.

A source said the prime suspect, Adenuga,

perfected the crime by blocking his boss'

telephone line so that he would not see the alert

of transactions conducted on his account.

He said, "The suspect is the lecturer's driver. He is

also a computer expert. He hid the ATM card for

three days and when he saw that the man did not

look for it, he used software to get the PIN. He

called Adewale (Opeyemi) and handed over the

card to him for safekeeping, saying it belonged to

his sister.

"When he drove his boss out again at another

time, he had access to the man's phone and

deliberately entered the wrong PUK number three

times which led to the blockage of the line."

Our correspondent was told that having

succeeded in blocking the line, the suspect

contacted Opeyemi and linked him up with

another friend, Iyitoye.

He allegedly asked the duo to make transactions

with the card on his behalf.

The two men were said to have gone to Shoprite,

Ikeja, and Mega Plaza, Victoria Island, where they

withdrew N200,000 and purchased the iPhones,

Macbook laptop, wristwatches and other items

through POS transactions.

It was gathered that the loot was shared among

the three men.

A police source explained that Banjoko, who

noticed that his telephone line had been blocked,

took it to a telecoms centre, where it was

reactivated.

"At that point, he received 30 alerts that a total of

N2,728,255 had been withdrawn from his

account. He reported the matter to the police, and

the case was transferred to the RRS.

"When the matter got to the Anti-Vice Section of

the SCIID, the police arrested the driver and after

interrogation, he confessed to the crime and

named his accomplices.

"The police recovered two iPhones 6S Plus, two

iPhones SSE, one Macbook laptop, seven GT

Shock wristwatches, one Blackberry Z10, one ring

and two bags," the source added.

The suspects were arraigned at the Yaba

Magistrate's Court on two counts of stealing.

The charge read in part, "That you, Mayowa

Adenuga, Adewale Opeyemi and Jeremiah

Iyitoye, on July 2, 2016, on Olanireti Fesan Street,

Magodo, Isheri, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial

District, did steal the sum of N2,728,255 only,

property of one Professor Simbo Banjoko."

The police said the offence was punishable under

sections 409 and 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos

State, Nigeria, 2011

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The magistrate, Mrs. O.A. Erinle, admitted them

to bail in the sum of N800,000 with two sureties in

like sum.

She added that one of the sureties must be a

blood relation of the defendants, who must be a

landlord within the jurisdiction of the court.

The case was adjourned till October 17, 2016