How investment firm employee was tracked to Ekiti after N90M theft

A calculated attempt to evade justice through internal sabotage and a cross-state escape has ended in the arraignment of Bello Saheed Samuel, an investment firm employee accused of orchestrating a ₦90 million insider fraud.

The suspect, who served in the finance department of the unnamed firm, appeared before the Federal High Court in Lagos facing charges of conspiracy and money laundering after a high-stakes manhunt led by the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU).

The case against Samuel highlights a sophisticated breach of corporate trust.

According to investigators, the suspect leveraged his position within the finance department to funnel company funds into personal accounts.

To hide the paper trail, Samuel allegedly laundered the proceeds through the bank accounts of unsuspecting friends and relatives, a tactic designed to distance himself from the stolen millions.

The drama escalated when the firm’s internal auditors flagged the discrepancies.

Realizing the net was closing in, Samuel reportedly vanished from Lagos, taking his family with him and severing all communication channels.

The pursuit, led by CP Kayode Ojapinwa’s team, spanned several South-Western states before tracking the fugitive to a hideout in the Oye-Ekiti Local Government Area of Ekiti State.

While the primary suspect is now in custody, the PSFU has indicated that the investigation is far from over. Operatives are currently trailing several accomplices believed to have facilitated the movement of the stolen funds.

Speaking on the development, CP Ojapinwa warned that the era of insider abuse going unpunished is over.

He urged corporate organizations to re-evaluate their internal control mechanisms and heighten surveillance on employees handling sensitive financial data.

The unit reaffirmed its commitment to cleaning up the financial sector, stressing that no amount of relocation or concealment can protect fraudsters from the reach of the law.