An auditor with one of the leading deposit money banks has narrated to the Federal High Court in Lagos how the bank’s server was allegedly hacked recently, with the hackers moving a total of N752m from the account of Flour Mills Nigeria Limited with the bank.
The auditor said the N752m was transferred to 20 different accounts between June 24 and July 3 this year.
The auditor was in court to testify in the case against an alleged Internet fraudster, Ola Lawal, alias Lawal Roland, who is being prosecuted for the alleged hacking of the bank’s server by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Lawal is standing trial alongside his firm, DCAN Oil and Gas Limited.
The auditor, who was led in evidence by EFCC lawyer, M. K. Hussain, said the fraud was narrowed down to Lawal because N46m out of the N752m was transferred into his account in Union Bank Plc.
The auditor said, “We discovered that the sum of N752m had been fraudulently transferred from one of our customers’ account, Flour Mills Nigeria Limited, to 20 different accounts, which the defendant’s company’s account was a beneficiary.
“Flour Mills’ account was hacked between June 24 and July 3, 2019, and the total sum of N752m was fraudulently transferred.
“The defendant’s account in Union Bank Plc received N46m 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.”
Lawal and his company had been arraigned on Monday for the crime.
They pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Justice Chuka Obiozor admitted Lawal to bail in the sum of N50m with one surety in like sum.
The case was adjourned till December 12, 2019 for continuation of trial.
* Reports by Punch
