58-year-old pastor bags 54 months jail term for stealing

Abel Olukayode, a 58-year-old self-acclaimed pastor has been sentenced to four and half years in jail for stealing N984,450 from Wema Bank Plc after standing trial on a three-count charge bordering on stealing.

An Igbosere Magistrate, Mrs A. T. Omoyele, sentenced Olukayode without an option of fine after finding him guilty of the offences. Delivering her judgment, Omoyele said the convict was guilty as charged, and accordingly sentenced him to six months imprisonment on the first count and two years each for the count two and three. She, however, said that the jail term would run concurrently.

The Prosecutor, Sgt. Cyriacus Osuji, had told the court that Olukayode committed the offences between March 5 and March 6, 2012 through mobile banking App on his phone. He said “Olukayode with the aid of his mobile phone with sim no. 08034456771, stole the sum of N22,550, through his Wema Bank account, property of Wema Bank plc. The convict at the same time and place with the aid of his mobile banking transferred the sum of N701,900, from Wema Bank to his GTB Bank account. Olukayode also transferred another amount, N260,000 to his First Bank account, property of Wema Bank plc”.

The prosecutor was able to establish to the court that between March 4 and March 6, 2012, the bank system malfunctioned. He said the convict who had only N300 in his account at that time, took advantage of the situation to steal the said amount. The offences contravened Section 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.