The deceased, Mr. Chinedu Mba, 35, a businessman
with chains of stores, was attacked and killed by unknown men in one of his
shops at Jos, Plateau State, in October, 2014.
After Mba was killed, his killers had made away with
some of his documents, handsets and other valuables.
The police were called in to investigate the murder,
but the case soon ran cold, with no evidence pointing to anybody.
The family of the deceased was already getting over
the death of their son, when they got a shocker.
A police source said: “ When the father of the
deceased, Mr. Marcellus Mba, went to the bank to withdraw money, he discovered
that his late son had used his missing phone to transfer over N1m to another
account. He alerted the police and we reopened the case.”
Narrating how the deceased father discovered money
missing from Mba’s account, the police said: “The father was at Union bank plc., to withdraw some money in his deceased son’s account and discovered
that N1m out of N2m had been withdrawn. He accused the bank
officials of stealing the money from his son’s account, the bank denied it.”
The police and bank started investigation. Union bank
started what it described as in-house investigation. While the police kept
surveillance on the bank, the bank placed a red alert on the deceased’s
account.
They were still trying to unravel how possible it
was for a ghost to use his personal phone and transfer N1m, when one Mr. Joseph
Akpan went to the bank’s branch in Ilorin, Kwara State, to make another
transfer.
The bank officials deliberately delayed him, while
they alerted the police. The officials also discovered that while Akpan was
claiming to be the deceased, the picture of the deceased in the computer, did
not match that of the 65-year-old Akpan.
Akpan wanted to transfer the money from the account
to one Victoria Abigail’s account, a staff of
Guaranty Trust Bank plc(GTB). This was the same account the first money
was transferred into.
“ Before we arrested Akpan, he filled a Union bank
transfer form. In the form, he claimed to be the late businessman. He also
filled Mba’s phone number as his own. He said he filled the phone number in
case the bank wanted to reach him if there was any question over the transfer.
Since he filled the deceased’s phone number, it means he is in possession of
the phone and likely killed the man,” said the police.
When police searched Akpan, they found N20,000 on him.
Stating his own side of the story, Akpan said that
he used to work with Pointer Security located at 12, Macdonald road, Ikoyi, a
private security firm. The firm did not pay for four years. He left there to
work as a guard at Tin Can Island Port,
but for one year, the company did not pay him.
Akpan said: “All those years, my son shouldered the
financial responsibility, until he said he was tired and suggested I relocated to
Asutan Local Government Area in Akwa
Ibom State, my home town. In my town, I started selling fairly used clothes and
shoes. I used to travel to Benin Republic to buy these items.
“ One day I wanted to travel to Cotonou. I would
leave Akwa Ibom to Lagos, then from Lagos I find my way to Cotonou. I had N50,000
with me. I travelled in the Akwa Ibom State Transport Company and stopped over
at Ojuelegba, Lagos. It was there I ran into my old friend Benson, whom I knew
when I was a contract security man at Tin Can Island. He told me about this
business and I shelved my trip to Cotonou.”
Akpan said that Benson was not too forthcoming on
the nature of the business, adding that he followed Benson to Ilorin without
thinking twice. According to him, from what Benson told him, he knew it was a
business that would fetch good money.
When they reached Ilorin, they lodged at Isaac George
hotel on January 6, 2015.
He said: “In the night, three men came. Benson took them away, to
discuss with them. I did not know what they discussed. On our way to the bank the following day, Benson
first stopped over at MTN Office, while I
waited for him in the car. He didn’t
take long before he came back. He had a new handset and a
new MTN SIM card, which he inserted into
a new phone. He gave the phone to me.
“Benson gave me a Union bank form to fill for the
transferred fund. He said that I should assist him to submit the form in
Union bank. I left Benson in the car,
with my N30,000. My money was inside my wallet. I had N20,000 with me.
“When police arrested me in the bank, I told them that
the person who brought me there was parked outside, waiting for me. When they went to look for Benson outside, he had zoomed off! He also ran away with my
N30,000.”
Akpan said he was shocked and sad to hear that Mba
whom Benson told him to impersonate, had been murdered.
Police told Akpan that he would be allowed to go, if
he could lead them to Benson, but he cried: “ I have told you the truth! I
didn’t know the account belonged to somebody who was murdered! I don’t know how
the police can locate Benson. I don’t even know his home. I only know that he
speaks Edo, Yoruba and good English. We
are about the same age.”
A policeman said: “Akpan and Benson must be
responsible for the murder of Chinedu
Mba since his father confirmed that his son’s phone
was missing and his number was used in transferring the first money.”
Police said they are also going after the said
Victoria Abigail, working with GTB.
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