A Point of Sale (POS) operator has been arrested by the police for allegedly going on a spending spree after N280m was erroneously transferred to his account by a commercial bank in Kwara State.
The suspect, identified as Alfa Rafiu, was arrested on Monday in Ilorin, the state capital. Rafiu, a resident of the Akuji compound in the Ilorin West Local Government Area, reportedly received the alerts in batches some weeks ago.
Instead of notifying the bank about the mistake, Rafiu allegedly went on a spending spree, buying houses and cars, and sponsoring people to lesser Hajj. Some residents were surprised about his sudden wealth as a POS operator, according to sources familiar with the issue.
The bank’s auditors later discovered the error and alerted law enforcement agents, who arrested Rafiu and took him to Lagos for further investigation.
The Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ajayi Okasanmi, confirmed the incident and stated that the arrest was carried out by the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department from Alagbon-Close, Ikoyi, Lagos, which makes it out of their jurisdiction.
The incident highlights the need for financial institutions to have strong measures in place to prevent such errors from occurring and to ensure prompt detection and correction when they do occur. It also serves as a reminder for individuals to act with integrity and report any errors or discrepancies to the relevant authorities.
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