The management of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has ordered nine of the bank ‘s employees to refund N1, 551, 000 before March 30, 2017; these were monies they stole via Automated Teller Machine (ATM) transactions.
The order was conveyed to the affected staff in an email sent by Mrs. Nkechi Joy Arizor, the bank’s Chief Operating Officer (South). The affected staff, according to the mail exclusively obtained by media, are Angela Obiokokola, Telewa Isaac, Mary Afolayan, Bukola Faboyede, Mercy Etim-Edet, Tosin Olukoya, Bimpe Adenuga, Wura Oluyemi and Esther Okomah.
“Sequel to the huge ATM shortage of N1,551,000 (One Million, five hundred and fifty-one thousand naira only) in your BO, which was as a result of your negligence to assigned tasks, you are hereby required by Executive Management to pay the amount listed against your name to recoup this loss,” the Chief Operating Officer stated in her mail.
Obiokola, designated as BOM, was responsible for the theft of N620,400 out of which she has refunded N300, 000, leaving a balance of N320, 4000.
Isaac, a cash officer, was responsible for the unexplained disappearance of N310, 200. Of this sum, he has refunded N250k, leaving a balance of N60, 200. Afolayan, Faboyede, Etim-Edet and Olukoya, all tellers, are required to pay back N88, 628 each.
Adenuga, who is designated as FTO, reportedly stole N88,628 out of which she has paid back N20,000. She is expected to pay an outstanding balance of N68, 628. Oluyemi, designated as CSO, and Okomah, a teller, are expected to pay back N88,632 and N88, 628 respectively. Refunds so far made, the email showed, amounted to N570, 000, with N981,000 expected to be paid by March 30.
The email also reminded the affected staff of the payment deadline, stating: “You will be required to sign your debit instruction, which should reach the Branch Manager of Redeem Christian Church Of God, Titilola Gbadebo by the of March 30th, 2017.”
The Chief Operating Officer equally mandated Mrs. Gbadebo to furnish her with information on compliance with her directive by the affected staff by 5pm on March 30 . The Chief Operating Officer’s directive was a sequel to her receipt of information, via email, on the activities of the affected staff from Mrs. Mercy Okwara, Group Head, Business Office Audit. Mrs. Okwara’s email was titled “Unresolved and Key ATM Shortages (N981,000) Redeemed Camp Ogun Large BO (Sol 0453)”. Copied in the mail were Sadiq Gboyega, Nweke Chukwuma, Ilobah Mike and Ogunmuyiwa Mukaila. The mail, which relied on extracts from spot check report published on March 23 , called for the intervention of the Chief Operating Officer.
“Please find below subject extracts from the Spot Check report that was published this morning. This will require your immediate intervention. The ATM cash count carried out on 20/03/2017 &
reconciling the unposted tickets from the weekend, ATM 1 had a shortage of N628,000 while ATM 2 had a shortage of N495,000.
The BOM could not avail the open items for the shortages and explained that when she resumed at the BO on 22/09/2016, she inherited a total shortage of N1,551,000 on the 2 ATMs.
Based on her escalation of the matter to the AOM, COO & RIC, an investigation was carried by both ATM Reconciliation and Internal Control with findings that the shortages were not due to System Glitch.
Based on a consolidated report for shortages in the South, the COO South directed that the responsible parties refund all unreconcilable shortages on or before 15/12/2016. This directive was communicated to the former BOM and Cash Officer albeit without any sharing formula.
Based on this directive, in Dec 2016, the former BOM (Angela Obiakala), the Cash Officer (Isaac Telewa) and the FTO (Adebimpe Adenuga) refunded N300,000, N250,000 and N20,000 respectively making a total refund so far of N570,000 leaving a balance of N981,000 which has remained unpaid till date.
The refunded amount was paid directly into the ATM till to reduce the shortage.
A follow-up cash count was conducted by the Audit Team on 23/03/2017, and a total shortage of N987,000 was established on the 2 ATMs,” Mrs. Okwara’s mail explained.
The mail also advised Mrs. Arizor to intervene immediately, isolate the unreconcilable amount and make staff responsible for the situation pay back the missing sums of money. It also informed that the unreconcilable amount should immediately be moved from the ATM till and warehoused in a separate account for proper monitoring of the process of refund.
