A former manager of Akure, Ondo State branch of Zenith Bank branch, Sunday Alade, has stated how the sum of N1.2 billion was brought into the bank for former Governor of Ekiti Stte, Ayodele Fayose, in 2014.
This is as he also disclosed that the bank spent ten days counting the money.
Recall that Fayose is standing trial over alleged charges of fraud and money laundering to the tune of N6.9 billion brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Led in evidence by EFCC lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs, at a Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday, the former bank official, Alade, gave account of how the money was brought in two aircraft.
His account: “On 17th June, 2014, I received a phone call from Lawrence Akande through Abiodun Oshode, who was my Zonal Head that a customer of the bank will be coming to make cash deposit in Akure. I was told that the customer would be coming by a flight to Akure Airport.
“After some hours, Abiodun Oshode came to my office to inform me that the said customer was in his office. I then followed him to his office where he introduced one, Biodun Agbele, to me as the bank customer. I was later instructed to prepare the cash movement team (bullion van and security) to pick the cash from the Airport.
“When the aircraft arrived, three individuals disembarked from it, two of them walked away while the third person walked to Abiodun Agbele. After a short interaction, we were left to offload the cash from the aircraft.
“One Adewale O who introduced himself as the orderly to Senator Obanikoro led us to offload the cash. When we got to the branch, we bundle-counted the cash and it was about N744m.
“We were told there was a balance and we went back to the airport to pick the second batch from the aircraft into our bullion van. The second tranche was about N494m, making a total of N1.2bn. The money was detail-counted by the Cash and Teller Unit for 10 days before it was credited into three different accounts.”
The judge, Chukwujekwu Aneke, adjourned the case till Friday, October 25.
