Police nab fugitive Keystone Bank staff accused of N35m theft

Ebele Bernardine Okpala, a Keystone Bank Limited employee, has been arrested by the Nigeria Police in connection with allegations of unauthorized use of a customer’s N35 million credit facility.

Okpala, a Keystone Bank Limited employee who had been absent from her workplace in Lagos since September 6, 2023, was located and taken into custody by police detectives in Delta State on July 4, 2024.

According to allegations, the N35 million in question was a credit facility obtained by Ebele Okpala in July 2023 from a financial services firm, purportedly as proof of funds to support her daughter’s application for a Canadian visa.

Following her arrest, the Legal department of the Police Special Fraud Unit, Lagos filed a four-count charge against Okpala at a Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Spokesman of the Special Fraud Unit, SP Eyitayo Johnson, said that the money was deposited into the suspect’s account which was domiciled in Keystone Bank Limited and secured by a Post-No-Debit placed by KBL at the behest of the financial company to preserve the funds.

According to SP Johnson, allegations suggest that Ebele Okpala may have collaborated with a colleague, a Service Manager at the bank, to bypass internal procedures and lift a Post-No-Debit order without proper authorization.

SP Johnson alleged that the unauthorized lifting of the Post-No-Debit order may have allowed Ebele Okpala to transfer the funds for personal use.

Johnson said, “After the act, on the 6th of September 2023, she absconded from her duties at the bank until her arrest on July 4, 2024.