News

Lady Narrates How Fraudster, UBA Defrauded Her, Refuses A Refund Despite Court Order

Published

1 year ago

December 17, 2022

Editor

Mrs. Deborah Coker has narrated how a fraudster in a suspected connivance with an insider with the United Bank for Africa, UBA, defrauded her of N148, 200.00 in her account with the bank.

She said the fraudster diverted her money to his e-naira account without her knowledge, adding that when she noticed this, she went to the bank to make a formal complaint but till now the money has not been refunded.

Coker who said a staff member of the bank must have done the evil act or given her details out to the fraudster to have perpetrated his evil act, added that even after making frantic effort to obtaining Court Order ordering the UBA to refund her money, the bank has refused a refund, rather giving her lame excuses.

She accused the bank of knowing the fraudster but shielding him.

Read Coker’s detailed narration:

On Wednesday, the 30th day of November 2022, I woke up about 11:09pm to use the convenience, haven slept quite early before 7pm. After using the convenience, I decided to check time on my phone with a view to do my night prayers, lo and behold, as I unlocked my phone, the first thing I saw was a debit alert my salary account which is domiciled with the UBA.

I was curious and wondered what debit alert it could be, so I opened the message, and to my utmost surprised, it was a debit alert of N148,200 (one hundred and forty eight thousand two hundred naira) only.

Immediately my heart skipped because I was expecting alert of my Nov salary earlier that day, which I didn’t get before I went to bed before 7pm, so I quickly scrolled down to see the message at the top, and to my surprised my salary had actually been paid, and UBA didn’t send me the alert until few minutes after 8pm when I was already sleeping, and it was that same my salary that the UBA fraudulent without my authorization debited and moved to an eNaira account.

Now I don’t know anything about eNAIRA, I don’t have an eNaira account, nor even the wallet, so I had to go to the internet to find out information about eNAIRA, after that, with the shock of the whole thing, I couldn’t sleep again.

So on Thursday being Dec. 1st, I rushed down to the UBA branch on Aminu Kano crescent here in Abuja, where I opened the account some years back, and made complaint, the manager one Mr Fidel Okwesa was very helpful and promised that the bank would deploy all it’s machinery to track both the account and the fraudster, and I told him that, who ever did it was either an insider or been aided and working in collaboration with an insider because, my details was supposed to be protected by the bank. Well I left the bank that day after spending seven hours there.

I returned to the bank again on Friday, to find out what progress has been made, and the manager told me that the e-fraud unit had been able to track the name of the eNAIRA account holder and where he is domiciled, he sent the details to me and asked if I know the person, and I told him, I have never heard of the name before. He still gave assurance that they would do everything to ensure that I get my money back, but however added that from on the 5th he would be going on vacation for two weeks.

He then took me to his assistance one Mrs Mandu Okon, and introduced me to her and reminded her about the issue, and that in his absence I would be meeting with her on progress made, to which the Mrs Mandu Okon lady said ok.

By that same Friday evening, the manager (Okwesa) called me again to inform me that they have been able to trace the bank and account number where whoever perpetrated the fraud moved my money to, and that I should get a court order to compel the UBA to refund the money back to my account.

On Monday Dec. 5th, I got my lawyer to get in touch with the Acting manager, Mrs Mandu Okon, to get further information with a view to know what to write down and take before the court to secure the court order. She gave the details of the fraudster which were:

Name…Suleman Isah
Address… Nugbasoro street, Benin city
Bank… UBA
Account number…2289230628

On Wednesday, Dec. 7th, we secured the court order, and immediately took it to the UBA, on getting there to submit the court order to Mrs Mandu Okon, she referred the my lawyer to another person, one Mr Alfred, whom she claimed would handle it, now I’m aware that the bank needed to verify the court order before they can act on it, this they have done, but till today, the UBA have refused to honour the court order to refund my money, but instead coming up with one lame lies and excuse or the other.

A situation I believe has to do with the fact that one of them had perpetrated the fraud, and they know the person and are shielding the person.

News

JUST IN: Tinubu Appoints Governing Board Members For 111 Tertiary Institutions

Published

52 mins ago

May 18, 2024

Editor

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointments of at least 555 persons to serve as Pro-chancellors/Chairmen and members of Governing Boards of 111 federal universities, polytechnics and Colleges of Education.

This followed Tinubu’s assent to a list of nominees selected by the Ministry of Education.

An advertorial by the Education Ministry sighted by The PUNCH showed the appointment of a chairperson and four members for each of the institutions.

It was signed by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack.

“The inauguration and retreat for the Governing Councils will take place on Thursday, May 30 and Friday, May 31, 2024, at the National Universities Commission, 26 Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja. Both events will commence at 9:00am daily,” said Walson-Jack.

When contacted for confirmation, the Presidency said the list emanated from the Ministry of Education.

“This is from the Federal Ministry of Education…they make the nominations and forward them to the President to sign. But they are at liberty to release it from their end,” the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, told The PUNCH on Sunday.

The appointments come days after the Academic Staff Union of Universities had threatened to embark on another strike, potentially disrupting the academic calendar and causing further setbacks in the country’s higher education sector.

The union, on Tuesday, decried the failure of the Federal Government to appoint Governing Councils for federal universities.

The union also faulted what it described as the nonchalant attitude of the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government to matters about academics in federal universities.

The body of academics, during a briefing at the University of Abuja, also faulted the 35 per cent salary increment for professors and the 25 per cent salary increment for other academics in the university system.

News

HOMEF Applauds NASS On Decision To Investigate GMOs In Nigeria

Published

2 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Editor

…says Nigeria needs to prioritise public health

Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) and the GMO-Free Nigeria
Alliance have commended the House of Representatives on the resolution to comprehensively investigate the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into Nigeria and for a halt on approval of new products
pending the completion of that investigation.

This is as the House of Representatives also urged the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to ensure labelling of GM crops already in the country.

The House resolution to investigate the introduction of GMOs into Nigeria followed the adoption of a motion by Rep. Muktar Shagaya at a plenary session held on Thursday 16th May 2024.

In a statement made available to INFO DAILY Kome Odhomor, Media/Communication Lead, HOMEF, the Executive Director of the organisation, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, said ass the lawmaker rightly explained, the introduction of GMOs in Nigeria raises serious concerns about safety, regulatory oversight, and their potential impacts on the country’s biosafety.

He noted that the investigation which has been long “overdue is vital to save the country from the dangerous path to food colonialism, contamination of our genetic resources, loss of
biodiversity/nutritional diversity, soil degradation, and overall
disruption of our agriculture and food systems.”

Bassey continued: “This investigation must be unbiased and thorough. To ensure this, the National Assembly should engage independent researchers to avoid contamination of the process by GMO promoters.

“This investigation should consider Nigeria’s agricultural landscape and investigate the underlying
causes of hunger/food insecurity and as well establish definite measures to address those issues. This is the time to rescue Nigerians from being used for risky experimentations.”

The Executive Director also stressed the need for critical examination of the National Biosafety Management Agency Act for its fitness for purpose.

He further added: “That law needs to be completely reworked to close existing loopholes including the composition of its governing/decision making board by excluding GMO promoters such as the National Biotechnology Development Agency; the lack of provision on strict liability, inadequate public consultation measures, absolute decision-making powers of the agency, minimal reference to the precautionary principal and many others.

“This was the submission of Mariann Bassey-Orovwuje, Food Sovereignty Activist and Deputy Executive Director at Friends of the Earth Nigeria.”

Also reacting to the Green Chamber’s call on NAFDAC to label GMO crops in the country, HOMEF’s Director of Programmes and lead on Hunger Politics, Joyce Brown, noted that the agency will need to devise strategies to have foods sold in local markets in basins, by the road sides, and in processed forms like Ogi and Akara labelled to ensure informed decision-making by the majority of people who purchase food from these sources.

“This exercise will prove that GMOs do not fit our socio-economic context. Over the years, market shelf surveys conducted by HOMEF has revealed over 50 different processed/packaged foods labelled as produced using genetically modified ingredients,” she added.

Brown advised that permits for commercialisation of GMO products such as Bt Cowpea, Tela Maize, Bt Corn and all others be suspended pending the result of the investigation by the House Committee on Agriculture and others.

The statement reaffirmed the submission by Rep. Shagaya that there’s need to prioritise public health, biodiversity, increased support of small holder farmers in terms of extension service, provision of infrastructure (to curtail waste), access to credits, access to land and the growth of our local economy.

“Nigeria should adopt agroecological farming which aligns well with our socio economic and socio cultural
context. Agroecology delivers increased productivity and economic resilience, revises/nourishes ecosystems, strengthens local economies, mitigates climate change and promotes food sovereignty,” the statement concluded.

News

Mother Of Five Jailed For Forging Late Abba Kyari’s Signature

Published

10 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Editor

A mother of five, Ramat Mba, has been sentenced to one-year imprisonment by a Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Gwagwalada, Abuja, for her involvement in an employment scam.

Ramat who was also found guilty of forging the signature of the late Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff to the former President, Muhammadu Buhari, was arraigned before the court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission on a 5-count bordering on cheating, fraud and forgery, contrary to Section 13 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 and Sections 320(b), 366 of the Penal Code Cap 89 laws of Northern Nigeria.

She reportedly committed the offence sometime in 2020 when she collected N4.5 million from several job seekers, promising to secure jobs for them with the ICPC and National Air Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA).

Also, the documentary evidence tendered showed that the convict fraudulently forged the letterhead of the Office of the Chief of Staff to former President Buhari and his signature. The letter, addressed to the ICPC Chairman, was a request for the recruitment of three individuals by the commission.

However, the late CoS, in a written correspondence that was also tendered in court as an exhibit, distanced himself or his office from authorising the letter.

Commenting on the sentencing, spokesperson for the ICPC, Demola Bakare said;

“The trial judge, Justice Muhammad, in his judgment on May 9, 2024, convicted the mother of five children on counts 1, 2, 3 and 5 that border on cheating and forgery, while she was discharged on count 4 which borders on felony.

“Justice Muhammad, during the sentencing on Thursday, pronounced a six-month jail term or N100,000 option of fine on counts 1, 2 and 3 on the convict.

“The presiding judge, who stressed the status of the convict as a first-time offender and a mother, also sentenced her to one-year imprisonment or N150,000 option on fine on count 5 which borders on forgery.”