Ogun loses N30m to Hackers Policemen in Ogun State have launched an investigation into a multi-million Naira fraud allegedly uncovered in the state-owned mortgage bank, Gateway Savings and Loans Limited. The investigation into the fraud, which was an internet transaction, led a team of armed mobile policemen to storm the branch of Skye Bank Plc located in Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta on Friday. The security operatives were said to have arrived the bank premises at about 4:30pm with an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) and some patrol vans and attempted to whisk the bank manager and some staff away. Sources said the team was led by the Senior Special Adviser on Security to Governor Ibikunle Amosun. Customers, especially those who had wanted to use the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) within the bank premises, were said to have run helter-skelter to avoid the wrath of the policemen. It was learnt that the bank staff engaged the policemen in argument and were reluctant to release their manager for about two hours. An official of the bank, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Sunday Mirror that a senior official was later taken to the Ibara Divisional Police Station, Abeokuta to write a statement. The banker said, “The management of Gateway Savings and Loans came to our bank to lodge a complaint of perpetual fraud and debit of about N30million in their Internet account of our bank. Since it was an Internet transaction, we told them to give us time to call on our technologists to investigate the issue. Within an hour at around 4:30pm, the SSA to Governor Amosun on Security came to the bank with about eight police vehicles and one armoured tank, chasing away all customers within the bank premises, saying they are acting on the orders of the governor to arrest the manager if the money is not provided. “We told them they can’t arrest anybody from the bank since there was no personal contact with anybody from the bank before the transaction was made and it was only the management of Gateway Savings and Loans that knew the password of the Internet account. We told them someone within their organisation who was privy to the password must have hacked their account.” Sunday Mirror further gathered that the arrested senior bank official was released immediately he wrote his statement while some other officials in the Gateway Savings and Loans Limited have also been quizzed. The state Commissioner for Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, could not be reached yesterday for comments on the alleged fraud. But in a telephone interview with journalists yesterday in Abeokuta, the state capital, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, confirmed the incident. Olaniyonu explained that an internet fraud was uncovered in the account of Gateway Savings and Loans Limited domiciled in Skye Bank and that the matter had been reported to the police. The commissioner, who stated that investigation was ongoing, however, said the amount involved was N14.3million and not N30million as alleged. “It was not a case of invasion of the bank by policemen. What happened was that there was an internet fraud. About N14.3million was said to be involved. The incident was discovered on Monday but the management and other officials of Gateway Savings and Loan didn’t report the matter until Wednesday. Olaniyonu added that the police had promised to get a court injunction to compel the Skye Bank to reveal certain information about the controversial account.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Jul 2014 09:47:40 +0000
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