TRAIN DRIVER SENTENCED TO 18 MONTHS IMPRISONMENT FOR STEALING N6.9M FROM HABARIPAY ACCOUNT
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
A Lagos State High Court has sentenced 39-year-old locomotive train driver, Christopher Ekene Ofielu, to one and a half years’ imprisonment or an option of a ₦1.5 million fine for stealing ₦6,995,944 belonging to HabariPay Ltd..
Justice Rahman Oshodi delivered the judgment after Ofielu pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of stealing filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to the EFCC, in October 2023, the convict used a HabariPay Squad account created for criminal activity to transfer ₦6,995,944 into his Access Bank account (14864072356), property of HabariPay Ltd.
During the review of facts, prosecution witness Adams Adze testified that the defendant was arrested following a petition by HabariPay Ltd., dated September 26, 2023. He revealed that Ofielu exploited a system glitch to make unauthorized withdrawals amounting to over ₦900 million.
EFCC prosecutor Abubakar Dambuwa informed the court that the offence contravened Section 280 (1)(b)(f) and is punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The court heard that the defendant initially received ₦500 with the narration “HabariPay Squad” before receiving the principal amount of ₦6,995,944. The defendant also admitted to being part of a WhatsApp group linked to the fraudulent activity.
Following his guilty plea, defence counsel Mercy Akhabue pleaded for leniency, noting that Ofielu was a first-time offender who had expressed remorse and made efforts to return the stolen funds. She also informed the court that Access Bank had placed a Post No Debit on his accounts, including his salary account, and requested a restoration order.
Justice Oshodi subsequently sentenced the defendant to one year and six months’ imprisonment with an option of a ₦1.5 million fine.
“You are sentenced to one year and six months’ imprisonment from today, 20th October 2025, for the offence of stealing,” the judge declared.
He also ordered Ofielu to make full restitution of the ₦6,995,944 from his Access Bank account to HabariPay Ltd. within seven days.
“All necessary documentation shall be executed within seven days from today. In line with the non-custodial sentence in proxy direction, you shall pay the fine of ₦1,500,000 in lieu of the custodial sentence,” Justice Oshodi added.
The judge further ordered the restoration of the convict’s Ecobank Nigeria account and directed that his biometric data be registered in the Lagos State offenders’ database.
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