An Auditor of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has confirmed that the the banks server was hacked, in the process a sum of N752 million was stolen from Flour Mills of Nigeria’s account.
Mr, Ojo Oladimeji, who is an auditor with the bank, told Justice Chuka Obiozor that hackers had successfully hacked the banks server.
Ojo said the hackers gained access to the firm’s account and transferred N752m to 20 accounts, including one allegedly belonging to Ola Lawal, a.k.a Lawal Roland and his company, DCAN Oil and Gas Lt.
According to Ojo, the theft actually took place between June 24 and July 3, 2019.
Lawal and DCAN Oil and Gas Ltd are standing trial on a two-count charge of fraudulent transfer of N46 million from Flour Mills’ UBA account to DCAN’s account domiciled in Union Bank Plc,” when they knew “that the funds form part of unlawful activities.”
Both companies pleaded not guilty after they were arraigned by EFCC on October 14.
Justice Chuka Obiozor adjourned till Wednesday to hear and determine the defendant’s bail application and begin trial.
At the commencement of proceedings, Oladimeji, who is the first prosecution witness, was led in evidence by EFCC counsel Mr. M. K. Hussain. He told the court how the N752m was stolen.
Oladimeji said it was discovered that the sum of N752m had been illegally transferred from Flour Mills’ account, to 20 different accounts, which includes DCAN oil and Gas Ltd.
Oladimeji said, “Flour Mills’ account was hacked between June 24 and July 3, 2019, and the total sum of N752 million was Fraudulently transferred.
“The defendant’s account in Union Bank Plc received N46 million on July 3. We then wrote a letter to our lawyer, Akin Adesomoju, to assist us with a petition to the EFCC to assist in investigation, recovery, arrest and prosecution of the culprits, that was how the defendant was arrested and charged to court after the EFCC investigation”.
Mr Ademola Iroko, who stood in as the defendants counsel, told the court that they were unaware of who transferred the stolen funds to the defendants account, that was why they reported the matter to EFCC.
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Oladimeji added that he was unaware of the officer in charge of Flour Mills’ account, but noted that it was his bank that had the record of how the money was transferred to 20 accounts, which the defendant’s company’s account was one of the beneficiaries.
Earlier, Justice Obiozor admitted the defendant and his company to bail in the sum of N50 million each with one surety in the like sum, among others.
According to the EFCC, Lawal, also known as Lawal Roland and DCAN Oil and Gas Ltd “on or about 24th June, 2019, fraudulently transferred the sum of N46,000,000 from Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc account domiciled in United Bank for Africa Plc to DCAN Oil and Gas Limited account domiciled in Union Bank Plc,” when they knew “that the funds form part of unlawful activities.”