The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Makurdi Zonal Office on Wednesday, secured the conviction of one Eze Shedrach, a Point of Sale, POS, merchant.
Eze was convicted by Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court Makurdi, Benue State.
Following a plea bargain agreement between Eze and the Commission, he was re-arraigned on a one-count amended charge that replaced the initial charge against him.
The count reads: “That you Eze Shedrach, being a First Bank Service provider as a Moni Agent, on the 28th of April, 2019, at Ikpayongo town, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, failed to obtain proper identification of your customer before executing the customer’s electronic instruction using First Bank Plc ATM issued to one Oodo Rose on your POS to withdraw the sum of N105,000.00 and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 37(2) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, prevention ETC) Act, 2015 and punishable under the same Act.”
He pleaded “guilty” to the charge.
In view of his plea, the prosecuting counsel, Y. Y. Tarfa, urged the Court to accept the plea bargain and convict him accordingly.
Justice Olajuwon pronounced him guilty, convicted him and ordered him to pay a fine of N500, 000 to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The judge also ordered that the sum of N105, 000 which had been refunded during the course of investigation be paid to the complainant as restitution.
The Court further ordered that Eze be remanded in prison custody pending the payment of the fine.
Trouble started for Eze, who was a First Moni Agent with First Bank, when one of his customers withdrew N105,000 through his POS machine, and he did not take record of the transaction.
Investigation revealed that the POS merchant had been transacting business without proper documentation of his customers upon withdrawals.
It was discovered that the withdrawal of N105,000 done on his POS machine on April 28, 2019 with a stolen ATM card could not be traced in his ledger as there was no documentation to that effect.
