A 29-year-old employee of Access Bank, Ajibade Idris Akintayo, has been arrested by police at the Adeniji Adele Division, Lagos, for allegedly defrauding his employer of N42 million.
The suspect, who worked at the bank’s headquarters, is accused of unlawfully withdrawing the funds from the bank’s account and converting the money for personal use.
The alleged fraud was uncovered during a routine account review by the bank’s internal forensic audit team. Following the discovery, the matter was reported to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at Adeniji Adele Division, who promptly ordered Akintayo’s arrest.
Investigations revealed that Akintayo, who was responsible for handling failed transaction reversals at the bank, had transferred the funds to multiple accounts linked to him. The suspect resides on Alhaji Ganiyu Street, AIT Road, Alagbado, Lagos.
Akintayo was arraigned before the Tinubu Magistrate’s Court, Lagos Island, on a four-count charge, including fraudulent withdrawal and theft. According to police counsel Ben Ekundayo, the alleged crime occurred between March 2023 and July 30, 2024, at Access Bank’s headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos. Ekundayo explained that Akintayo unlawfully transferred the N42 million to various personal accounts and withdrew the money for his own use.
The charges against Akintayo fall under sections 411, 325, and 287(7) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges. Chief Magistrate M.A. Owunmi granted him bail in the sum of N5 million, with two sureties in like amount.
Akintayo was remanded at Ikoyi Correctional Facility pending the fulfillment of his bail conditions, and the case was adjourned for further mention.
