Police Arrest Absconded Keystone Bank Staff Who Stole Depositor’s N35m

A female staff of Keystone Bank Limited, Ebele Bernardine Okpala, who allegedly stole and converted N35 million credit facility belonging to a customer has been arrested by the Nigeria Police.

Police detectives tracked and traced Ebele Okpala, who absconded from her place of work in Lagos since September 6, 2023, to Delta State and was eventually arrested on July 4, 2024.

The stolen money was a credit facility Okpala obtained in July 2023 from a financial services firm as proof of funds to facilitate the approval of a Canadian visa for her daughter.

Following her arrest, the Legal department of the Police Special Fraud Unit, Lagos filed a four-count charge against Okpala at a Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Spokesman of the Special Fraud Unit, SP Eyitayo Johnson, said that the money was deposited into the suspect’s account which was domiciled in Keystone Bank Limited and secured by a Post-No-Debit placed by KBL at the behest of the financial company to preserve the funds.

SP Johnson further said that the suspect worked in connivance with one of her colleagues at the bank, who was a Service Manager by circumventing procedures and processes placed by the Bank and lifted the Post-No-Debit without authorization.

He said the abuse of the process of the PND, enabled Ebele Okpala to transfer the money out to settle personal needs.

According to SP Johnson; “After the act, on the 6th of September 2023, she absconded from her duties at the bank until her arrest on July 4, 2024.