The Police Command in the FCT has arrested Emmanuel Onuma, 34, for allegedly stealing N14 million from a new generation bank’s Automated Teller Machine (ATM) lobby in Abuja.
ACP Olumese Valentine, in charge of operations in the command, disclosed this while addressing newsmen on the arrest on Wednesday in Abuja.
Valentine said that the suspect was arrested on Nov. 1 by operatives attached to the Garki division of the command.
He said that the suspect allegedly broke into the ATM lobby of the bank located in Garki on Oct. 19 at about 12 midnight and stole the money.
“The suspect, who was an employee of the bank before he was sacked in August this year for fraudulent activities, confessed that he acted alone.
“According to him, some of the money he stole from the bank were converted to foreign currency 33,000 dollars at Abuja and Kaduna for ease of movement.
“Upon his arrest, the cash sum of $28,000, N1,650,120 and nine pieces of Ghana ceddis and other exhibits were recovered from him, including one new SIM card and AZMAN flight tickets,”he said.
Onuma, however, told newsmen that he worked with the bank before he was unjustly dismissed in August.
He said he stole the money because he was not paid a dime after his dismissal, in spite of the the number of years he worked for the bank.
“There is no justification for doing what I did but I did it because they didn’t pay me after eleven years of service,”he said.
In a related development, the FCT command also arrested 14 suspects for armed robbery, murder, motorcycle snatching and other crimes.
Valentine said that among the suspects arrested was Ilyasu Omika, 22 of Tunga Maje, who disguised as a lady at a brothel in Mpape and lured men.
“The suspect, who disguised as a lady to lure men at nightclubs for amorous relationships, was arrested after his supposed client raised alarm upon discovery that he was actually a man and not a woman,”he said.
He said that the suspects were arrested on Nov. 5 by police operatives attached to Mpape division of the command.
The police said the suspects would be arraigned in court after the conclusion of investigation.