Driver clones Unilag professor's PIN number and withdraws N2.7m from his account

DETECTIVES from the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a driver identified as Mayowa Adenuga who stole his boss's automated teller machine (ATM) card and managed to use it to withdraw N2.7m (£6,383) from his bank account.

 

Mr Adenuga, 25, who is also a computer expert, was employed as a driver by a lecturer at the University of Lagos, Professor Simbo Banjoko. Earlier this year, while waiting for his boss on the university premises, he found Professor Banjoko’s Zenith Bank ATM card in the car and hid it.

 

When the victim did not notice that his ATM card was missing, Mr Adenuga used software to uncover the card’s PIN code. After withdrawing N200,000 from the bank account through the ATM, he allegedly bought four iPhones, valued at N495,000, one Macbook laptop valued at N415,000, 10 wristwatches, a Blackberry phone and a ring.

 

It was learnt that a total of N2,728,255 was withdrawn from the victim’s bank account. Upon noticing this, Professor Banjoko referred the matter to the Rapid Response Squad, which later transferred the case to the Anti-Vice Section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba.

 

Mr Adenuga was subsequently arrested, along with his accomplices in the crime Adewale Opeyemi, 18 and Jeremiah Iyitoye, 29. One police source said Mr Adenuga, perfected the crime by blocking his boss’ telephone number so that he would not see the alert of transactions conducted on his account.

 

He added: “The suspect is the lecturer’s driver and is also a computer expert. He hid the ATM card for three days and when he saw that the man did not look for it, he used software to get the PIN. 

 

"He called Adewale Opeyemi and handed over the card to him for safekeeping, saying it belonged to his sister. When he drove his boss out again at another time, he had access to the man’s phone and deliberately entered the wrong PUK number three times which led to the blockage of the line.”

 

Later, Professor Banjoko, who noticed that his telephone line had been blocked, took it to a telecoms centre, where it was reactivated. At that point, he received 30 alerts that a total of N2,728,255 had been withdrawn from his account upon which he reported the matter to the police.

 

The police said the offence was punishable under sections 409 and 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011. Magistrate, Mrs OA Erinle, admitted the suspects to bail in the sum of N800,000 with two sureties in like sum.

 

She added that one of the sureties must be a blood relation of the defendants, who must be a landlord within the jurisdiction of the court. Subsequently, the case was adjourned till October 17.