BY ONOZURE DANIA

LAGOS — The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday arraigned a former Commissioner for Youths and Sports in Anambra State, Okey Aroh, over an alleged N108 million theft.

Aroh appeared alongside an alleged accomplice, Abimbola Oluwaniyi, before Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of an Ikeja High Court.

The defendants are facing a six‑count charge of conspiracy, stealing, forgery and uttering.

Counsel to the EFCC, Mr Omeiza Adebola, alleged that the defendants conspired to steal the money belonging to their former employer, an old generation bank, between June 2008 and July 2009.

Adebola said Aroh was the manager, while Oluwaniyi was a Relationship Officer of the bank’s Oke-Arin branch in Lagos, when they allegedly committed the offences.

According to him, the defendants also forged two certificates of deposit purportedly issued by the bank to facilitate the theft.

He said their offences breached Sections 390 (7) (9), 467,468 and 516 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.

The offence of stealing attracts between seven and 20 years imprisonment upon conviction.

Both defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Moving the application for bail filed by Aroh, his counsel, Mr Vincent Nwana, urged the court to grant the defendants bail on liberal terms.

Nwana argued that the charge arose out of loans granted by the defendants when they were employees of the bank.

In her ruling, the judge granted Aroh bail in the sum of N5 million with two sureties paying N2 million each.

She said the money should be paid by a bank draft drawn in the name of the Chief Registrar of the Lagos High Court and should be deposited into an interest‑yielding account.

According to her, one of the sureties must be a blood relation while both sureties should be resident in Lagos State.

Ipaye further directed that the sureties should be gainfully employed and must produce three years tax clearance payable to the state government.

The judge also granted Oluwaniyi bail in the sum of N2 million with two sureties who must be resident in Lagos State.

She said one of the sureties must be a blood relation, while both of them must also produce three years tax clearance payable to the state government.

The matter was adjourned till July 3, 8 and 11 for trial.