15082018 - SARS: Osinbajo orders probe of abuses; IG rejigs squad

34—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2018
vanguardnews @vanguardnews @vanguardnews
Hackers break into bank's database, siphon
millions of naira from customers' accounts
By Eric Ugbor
U MUAHIA—
THERE was
pandemonium yesterday at
the First City Monument
Bank, FCMB, branches in
Umuahia, the Abia State
capital when many
customers besieged the
bank over withdrawals
running into millions of
naira made from their
accounts at midnight.
As early as 8.00am, many
customers of the bank have
crowded the two branches
of the bank located along
Bank Road in Umuahia,
with lamentations over
debit alerts, amounting to
millions of naira which they
received between 1am and
3am yesterday.
The customers, who
stated that the unusual
withdrawal occurred very
early in the morning
yesterday while they were
asleep, expressed shock
that they woke up to see
that the money in their
accounts have been
withdrawn.
A senior staff of one of the
affected branches, who
spoke on anonymity
blamed the incident on
"international hackers."
Mrs Nnenna Ukachi
could not control her tears
as she stated that she came
all the way from Bende
Local Government Area of
the state to withdraw the
sum of N250,000 to
complete payment to
transfer a sick daughter to
the Universty of Nigeria
Teaching Hospital, UNTH,
Enugu, only to find that her
account has been emptied.
The woman who couldn’t
control her tears lamented
that the money was sent by
a good Nigerian who read
about the plight of her only
child and decided to help.
She said: “My life is
finished, what will I do?
That money is my only
hope from God and now,
the bank is telling me a
story I can’t understand.
What should I do?”.
Onwuchekwa Chinatu,
an Umuahia-based legal
practitioner told Vanguard
that he raced all the way
from Ikwuano this morning
when he noticed the
strange withdrawal alerts
that occurred in his account
last night.
He said that thousands
of naira meant for workers
salary deposited in the
FCMB have been
withdrawn and the entire
account emptied.
Another customer of the
bank and a civil servant told
Vanguard that the money
in his account was a loan
he collected from the
bank where his salary is
domiciled.
Enugu govt seals off banks, firms over
non-payment of N200m taxes
E NUGU—ENUGU
State Board of Internal
Revenue after obtaining
court orders, yesterday,
carried out a distrainment
exercise on four banks and
two other private firms,
located in Enugu
metropolis and Nsukka, for
non-payment of taxes due
to the state government,
totalling over N200 million.
The affected companies,
according to the board’s
Director of Back Duty Audit,
Mr. Edwin Iyidiobi, who
spoke to newsmen after the
exercise, included three
new generation banks, a
hotel and another business
establishment.
Iyidiobi stated that the
detrainment exercise
became imperative “after
several failed appeals to
these companies that are
indebted to us,” adding that
“they did not comply with
our request and of course,
being law abiding citizens
we had to ask for court’s
assistance.”
He maintained that the
exercise followed due
process and was
successful, saying: “We got
Court Orders to seal off the
affected companies, and
distrain them until they pay
what they owe the state
government.”
The tax board boss further
explained that the taxes
being owed the state
government by the affected
companies were in form of
“unpaid PAYE; underremitted
PAYE; underremitted
Withholding Tax;
under-remitted
Development Levy and
interests and penalties
charged on the underremitted
taxes as provided
by the law.”
While emphasising the
board’s need to raise
sufficient funds for the
execution of state
government’s
The manager of FCMB,
Umuahia was not available
to explain the situation to
customers but a senior staff
of the bank confirmed the
criminal incident as a
handiwork of international
hackers.
He confirmed that the
incident has been reported
in two of their branches in
Umuahia and blamed it on
the activities of criminal
international hackers who
infiltrated into the bank
systems.
He assured the customers
that the monies were not
lost as it remained in what
he called “Lean Account”,
meaning that the funds are
still in the bank and the
affected accounts have
been blocked.
He said: “We have
contacted our headquarters
and we assure customers
not to panic as their money
is not lost.”
AWARENESS: Principal, Igbobi College, Yaba, Venerable Femi Fashina; Board Member, Joe
Nwiloh Foundation, Mr. Akin Omorodion; Chief Operating Officer, Joe Nwiloh Foundation,
Adedoyin Yusuf; Consultant Family Physician and Occupational Medical Practitional, Dr Joe
Nwiloh, and Dr. Bukunola Fagade, during the Joe Nwiloh Foundation sponsored medical
outreach programme aimed at impacting the knowledge of how to perform cardiovascular
resuscitation, CRP, on victims of cardiac arrest.
Why we're conferring chieftaincy title on
Gov Ganduje—Abia monarchs
By Ugochukwu
Alaribe
AAbia BA—CHAIRMAN,
State Council of
Traditional Rulers, Eze
Eberechi Dick, has said
that the council will be
conferring a chieftaincy
title on the governor of
Kano State, Alhaji Umar
Ganduje, for protecting
lives and properties of
Ndigbo residing in his
state.
In an interview with
Vanguard in Aba, the
development projects, Mr.
Iyidiobi therefore, urged the
defaulters to comply with
their civic responsibilities by
paying the outstanding
taxes for the overall benefit
of the people of the state.
monarch who spoke
against reports that the
planned chieftaincy title
has political undertone,
explained that the
request was made by
Ndigbo residing in Kano
State and insisted that
traditional rulers are not
involved in partisan
politics.
Eze Dick said Ndigbo
in Kano would use the
chieftaincy title to thank
Ganduje for the manner
he has protected lives
and property of Ndigbo
in Kano, particularly
during the IPOB crisis
during which he averted
reprisal attacks.
He disclosed that
Ganduje will be given
the chieftaincy title of
Agu Na Eche Mba 1 of
Ndigbo, (Lion that
protects Igbo people).
“The chieftaincy title
has no political
undertone; it’s purely in
appreciation for what
Ganduje has been doing
for the Igbo in his state."
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Awka Prison inmate
registers for MSc at NOUN
By Vincent
Ujumadu
AWKA—AN inmate of
the Awka Prisons in
Anambra State, Mr. Jude
Onwuzulike has registered
for a Masters degree
programme in Information
Technology at the National
Open University of Nigeria,
NOUN.
The 39-year old
Onwuzulike, a father of
four, was inducted at the 7th
matriculation ceremony of
the institution held recently
at the prison premises.
Authorities of NOUN and
the Nigeria Prison Service,
however decided to
organise a special
ceremony for the inmates.
The excited Onwuzulike
told reporters during the
ceremony that he had
earlier obtained the
Bachelor’s Degree and
Post Graduate Diploma
from the Nnamdi Azikiwe
University, Awka and University
of Nigeria, respectively
before he was sentenced
to prison.
He said: “My first degree
was in Accounting, which
I obtained in 2005, while the
second degree was in
Mathematics. When I
came here, I did a Post
Graduate Diploma in
Information Technology
and I am now pursuing
Masters degree in the
same discipline.”
He explained that he
had to go into another
discipline from his first
degree course of study due
to what he described as
unsatisfactory manner the
case that led to his
imprisonment was
investigated by security
operatives, particularly the
Department of State
Services, DSS. He,
however did not give
details of what brought him
to the prison.
Abia workers hungry, says
former Speaker
By Anayo Okoli
UMUAHIA—A former
Speaker of Abia State
House of Assembly, Mr.
Agwu Agwu has said that
Abia people, especially the
civil servants are not happy
with the state government
due to the level of hardship
they are passing through as
a result of several months
of arrears of unpaid salaries
and pensions.
According to him, Abia
workers keep running from
place to place in search of
assistance to solve their
basic problems because
their salaries are not paid.
Agwu, who is a chieftain
of the ruling All Progressive
Congress, APC, also said
the party is not President
Muhammadu Buhari’s
party as erroneously be
spread, but a national party,
which he said would
provide Igbos the best
opportunity to produce the
president of the country.
“Abia people are not
happy with the
government of the day. I
am not in the habit of
criticizing any government.
But I have brothers and
sisters working in the state
and for several months they
have not been paid and
they have been going
through a lot of hardship.
They are praying for
change.
“If you are a Government
and you cannot and you
can’t salary, and owe
pensioners for several
months, then there is a
problem,” Agwu said,
adding that selecting some
ministries to pay was not
the way to go.
Noting that the Ikpeazu
administration may have
done well in some areas,
Agwu however said owing
workers must be a priority
of any government.
Agwu said despite the
heat in the polity, he was
not entertaining fear for the
2019 election, as things
would be in order.
Lolo Ugoeru
Nnadozie is dead
•Late Lolo Nnadozie
LOLO
Ugboeru
Nnadozie, nee
Arumona of Amaozaka,
Umuobira village,
Nkpologu, Uzo-Uwani
LGA, Enugu State is dead,
aged 83.
Burial rites begin August
17, 2018 with a wake-keep
at her compound.
Internment follows next day
at Amaozaka, Umuobira,
Nkpologu. She is survived
by children and other
relations.