A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja on Monday sentenced a 39-year-old locomotive driver with the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Christopher Ofielu, to 18 months imprisonment for stealing N6.99 million belonging to HabariPay Limited.
Justice Rahman Oshodi handed down the sentence after Ofielu pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of stealing filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The court, however, gave the convict an option of paying a N1.5 million fine in lieu of the custodial sentence.
According to the EFCC, Ofielu exploited a system glitch in October 2023 to fraudulently transfer N6,995,944 from HabariPay’s account into his Access Bank account.
Investigators said the funds were traced to a HabariPay Squad account the defendant created specifically for the fraudulent transaction.
A petition from HabariPay Limited dated September 26, 2023, led to his arrest.
The commission’s investigation revealed that the glitch resulted in unauthorized withdrawals totaling more than N900 million, with Ofielu receiving a portion of the stolen funds.
An EFCC witness, Adams Adze, testified that the money was credited to Ofielu’s account with the transaction narration “HabariPay Squad.”
Prosecutor Abubakar Dambuwa told the court that the offence violated Section 280 (1) (b) (f) and was punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
During plea for leniency, defence counsel, Mercy Akhabue, described Ofielu as a first-time offender who had shown remorse and taken steps to refund the stolen sum.
She also informed the court that Access Bank had placed restrictions on all of his accounts.
In his ruling, Justice Oshodi sentenced the defendant to one year and six months imprisonment, effective October 20, 2025, with an option to pay a N1.5 million fine. He also ordered restitution of the N6.99 million to HabariPay Limited from Ofielu’s Access Bank account within seven days.
The judge further directed that the convict’s biometric data be entered into the Lagos State Offenders’ Database.
“You are sentenced to one year and six months imprisonment from today, October 20, 2025, for the offence of stealing,” Justice Oshodi said. “You shall make restitution of N6,995,944 to HabariPay Limited and pay a N1.5 Train Driver Bags 18 Months for Stealing N6.9m from Fintech Firm
A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja on Monday sentenced a 39-year-old locomotive driver with the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Christopher Ofielu, to 18 months imprisonment for stealing N6.99 million belonging to HabariPay Limited.
Justice Rahman Oshodi handed down the sentence after Ofielu pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of stealing filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The court, however, gave the convict an option of paying a N1.5 million fine in lieu of the custodial sentence.
According to the EFCC, Ofielu exploited a system glitch in October 2023 to fraudulently transfer N6,995,944 from HabariPay’s account into his Access Bank account.
Investigators said the funds were traced to a HabariPay Squad account the defendant created specifically for the fraudulent transaction.
A petition from HabariPay Limited dated September 26, 2023, led to his arrest.
The commission’s investigation revealed that the glitch resulted in unauthorized withdrawals totaling more than N900 million, with Ofielu receiving a portion of the stolen funds.
An EFCC witness, Adams Adze, testified that the money was credited to Ofielu’s account with the transaction narration “HabariPay Squad.”
Prosecutor Abubakar Dambuwa told the court that the offence violated Section 280 (1) (b) (f) and was punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
During plea for leniency, defence counsel, Mercy Akhabue, described Ofielu as a first-time offender who had shown remorse and taken steps to refund the stolen sum.
She also informed the court that Access Bank had placed restrictions on all of his accounts.
In his ruling, Justice Oshodi sentenced the defendant to one year and six months imprisonment, effective October 20, 2025, with an option to pay a N1.5 million fine.
He also ordered restitution of the N6.99 million to HabariPay Limited from Ofielu’s Access Bank account within seven days.
The judge further directed that the convict’s biometric data be entered into the Lagos State Offenders’ Database.
“You are sentenced to one year and six months imprisonment from today, October 20, 2025, for the offence of stealing,” Justice Oshodi said. “You shall make restitution of N6,995,944 to HabariPay Limited and pay a N1.5 million fine in lieu of imprisonment, subject to full verification of the restitution order.”
imprisonment, subject to full verification of the restitution order.”