An Igbosere Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, on Thursday sentenced a former First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) cashier, David Anibolu to four years imprisonment for stealing N9.3 million from a customer’s account.

Anibolu, 26, who resides at No.15, Baale St., Agbroko Iba, in Ojo area of Lagos, was arraigned on April 3, 2014, on a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing.

He had pleaded not guilty to the charges and was admitted on N500, 000 as bail with two sureties in like sum.

The accused had been in detention since March 24, 2014, when he was arrested.

The Magistrate, Mrs A. O. Awogboro, found the accused not guilty on the offence of conspiracy but convicted him for stealing.

Awogboro however sentenced Anibolu to four years imprisonment and ordered that the sentence should take effect from the time of arrest.

She said, “No one must be allowed to profit from his crime”.

However, before the magistrate pronounced the sentence, the convict’s counsel, Mr Philips Onyama, urged the court to be lenient on Anibolu.

Onyama urged the court to give the convict a sentence of fine.

“He is a first-time offender; he has no father and has only a sick mother who relies on him for survival.

“He has been in custody since March 24, 2014 and has suffered emotional and physical torture.

“He is also now more sober and refined,” Onyama said.

The prosecutor, SP. Chidi Okoye, had during the trail, said the accused committed the offences on March 22, at 2 p.m, at FBN, Alaba 2 branch in Ojo, Lagos.

Okoye said that the accused was on annual leave but came to the bank premises under the pretext of helping a customer to post his land use charges.

“He fraudulently changed a customer’s identity and mandate card which enabled him to debit the said account to the tune of N9.3 million.

“The accused therefore transferred the said money into various accounts,” Okoye said.

According to him, the offences contravened Sections 285 (8) and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

(NAN)