A Lagos court has sentenced a 39-year-old train driver, Christopher Ofielu, to one year and six months in prison or a ₦1.5 million fine for stealing ₦6,995,944 belonging to HabariPay Limited.
Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja, gave the judgment on Monday after Ofielu pleaded guilty to the charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to the EFCC, Ofielu used a system error in October 2023 to transfer the money from HabariPay’s account into his own Access Bank account (No. 14864072356). Investigators later found that he had opened a HabariPay Squad account just to carry out the fraud.
The case began after HabariPay Limited petitioned the EFCC on September 26, 2023, saying the system glitch had allowed over ₦900 million to be stolen. Ofielu’s share was almost ₦7 million.
An EFCC witness, Adams Adze, said Ofielu first moved ₦500, then transferred the full amount.
He also admitted that the train driver was part of a WhatsApp group involved in similar illegal transactions.
Prosecutor Abubakar Dambuwa said the crime violated the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
Ofielu’s lawyer, Mercy Akhabue, pleaded for mercy, saying he was a first-time offender who regretted his action and had started paying back the money. She added that Access Bank had already blocked his accounts.
Justice Oshodi ruled that the prison term would start from October 20, 2025, but Ofielu could pay a ₦1.5 million fine instead of going to jail.
The judge also ordered that the stolen ₦6,995,944 must be refunded to HabariPay Limited within seven days from Ofielu’s Access Bank account, under EFCC supervision.
Finally, the judge directed that Ofielu’s biometric details be added to the Lagos State Offenders’ Database and that his Ecobank account be reopened after restitution.