Wife of late Ecobank worker, Babatunde Oke, who died in
police custody on Thursday, has said her husband decided to pay back the money
he was accused of stealing because he wanted to save his job.
Bunmi Oke, 29, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone, said Babatunde never stole N1.2m from the bank’s Automated Teller Machine.
PUNCH Metro had reported on Monday that the deceased was accused of stealing the money and was taken to the Falomo Police Station, Lagos State, by the bank.
Three days after being in the police custody, it was alleged that Oke was given a bottle of soft drink, after which he convulsed and died.
Bunmi said her husband died because “he trusted people too much.”
She said, “My husband had resumed in the office on Tuesday, a week before he was arrested, after going on a week leave. Immediately he resumed, he told me there was an issue on the ground that there was a shortage of funds in the ATM.
“He said the amount was N1.2m and he and his boss, who were custodian of the ATMs, had been asked to share the money and pay N600, 000 each.
“My husband is the head teller and his boss is the head of operation. The usual thing is that before money is uploaded into the ATM, my husband and his boss count it, and sign the certificate to show the money was complete.
“The office said they must return the money the same day else the matter would escalate and they could lose their jobs.
“Since my husband is the authoriser and he does not want to lose his job, he agreed to pay back the money.”
Bunmi said her husband borrowed N300, 000 from one of the junior workers, who later embarrassed him and seized his car when he could not refund the money the next day.
The mother of two told our correspondent that Babatunde ran to an uncle who lent him money to offset his debt and recover his car.
“But later, they said my husband will pay the whole money and they said if he doesn’t pay back by Monday, he would lose his job.
“He was so disturbed during the weekend as he kept running around to get loan and borrow money from people.”
The late banker was said to have got a call from one of his colleagues in the office who told him that the missing funds had become public knowledge, adding that he would be sacked after repaying the money.
The frustrated banker was said to have written his resignation letter, and decided that if the bank’s management insisted on collecting the missing money from him, he would pay when he had it.
“On Tuesday of the week he died, we heard that telling him to keep paying in order to keep his job was just a plot to implicate him. It meant he had agreed that he indeed stole it. I rebuked him for trusting people too much. He believed his bosses wanted to help him,” she said.
A controller at the bank was said to have called him on the fateful Tuesday and ordered him to come to the office. Babatunde reportedly boarded a public transport since he could not drive his car due to an injury he sustained during the weekend.
“In the evening I called him, he said they were taking him to Falomo station. They took him to the police station that Tuesday. Later they collected his phone. And that was all.”
Babatunde was rushed to the hospital on Thursday afternoon while his parents waited at the entrance to the police station, about to perfect his bail.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, said Babtunde died after taking a bottle of Pepsi.
When our correspondent called a member of the Brand and Communication Unit of Ecobank, Austin Osokpor, he said the bank had decided to postpone its official statement (earlier slated for Monday) till the release of the autopsy result of what killed the deceased.
“The bank does not want to continue to make different statements that could inflame the matter. We will make our statement after the release of the autopsy report,” he said.
-Punch
Bunmi Oke, 29, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone, said Babatunde never stole N1.2m from the bank’s Automated Teller Machine.
PUNCH Metro had reported on Monday that the deceased was accused of stealing the money and was taken to the Falomo Police Station, Lagos State, by the bank.
Three days after being in the police custody, it was alleged that Oke was given a bottle of soft drink, after which he convulsed and died.
Bunmi said her husband died because “he trusted people too much.”
She said, “My husband had resumed in the office on Tuesday, a week before he was arrested, after going on a week leave. Immediately he resumed, he told me there was an issue on the ground that there was a shortage of funds in the ATM.
“He said the amount was N1.2m and he and his boss, who were custodian of the ATMs, had been asked to share the money and pay N600, 000 each.
“My husband is the head teller and his boss is the head of operation. The usual thing is that before money is uploaded into the ATM, my husband and his boss count it, and sign the certificate to show the money was complete.
“The office said they must return the money the same day else the matter would escalate and they could lose their jobs.
“Since my husband is the authoriser and he does not want to lose his job, he agreed to pay back the money.”
Bunmi said her husband borrowed N300, 000 from one of the junior workers, who later embarrassed him and seized his car when he could not refund the money the next day.
The mother of two told our correspondent that Babatunde ran to an uncle who lent him money to offset his debt and recover his car.
“But later, they said my husband will pay the whole money and they said if he doesn’t pay back by Monday, he would lose his job.
“He was so disturbed during the weekend as he kept running around to get loan and borrow money from people.”
The late banker was said to have got a call from one of his colleagues in the office who told him that the missing funds had become public knowledge, adding that he would be sacked after repaying the money.
The frustrated banker was said to have written his resignation letter, and decided that if the bank’s management insisted on collecting the missing money from him, he would pay when he had it.
“On Tuesday of the week he died, we heard that telling him to keep paying in order to keep his job was just a plot to implicate him. It meant he had agreed that he indeed stole it. I rebuked him for trusting people too much. He believed his bosses wanted to help him,” she said.
A controller at the bank was said to have called him on the fateful Tuesday and ordered him to come to the office. Babatunde reportedly boarded a public transport since he could not drive his car due to an injury he sustained during the weekend.
“In the evening I called him, he said they were taking him to Falomo station. They took him to the police station that Tuesday. Later they collected his phone. And that was all.”
Babatunde was rushed to the hospital on Thursday afternoon while his parents waited at the entrance to the police station, about to perfect his bail.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, said Babtunde died after taking a bottle of Pepsi.
When our correspondent called a member of the Brand and Communication Unit of Ecobank, Austin Osokpor, he said the bank had decided to postpone its official statement (earlier slated for Monday) till the release of the autopsy result of what killed the deceased.
“The bank does not want to continue to make different statements that could inflame the matter. We will make our statement after the release of the autopsy report,” he said.
-Punch
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