Train driver sentenced 18 months or fine for stealing ₦6.99 m
A 39-year-old train driver employed by the Nigerian Railway Corporation, identified as Christopher Ekene Ofielu, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison or the alternative of paying a ₦1.5 million fine for stealing ₦6,995,944 from the fintech company HabariPay Limited.
Ofielu pleaded guilty to a one-count charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Lagos. According to the prosecutor, he exploited a system glitch in October 2023 to transfer funds from HabariPay’s account into an account he had opened with his employer’s bank, labelled “HabariPay Squad”, which the court found was created for fraudulent purposes. The court also found that the unauthorised withdrawals from the glitch may amount to over ₦900 million, though Ofielu’s share under investigation was the roughly ₦7 million.
Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja, delivered the verdict on October 20 2025. He directed that the stolen amount be fully restituted to HabariPay Limited from Ofielu’s bank account and ordered that his biometric data be entered into the Lagos State Offenders’ Database. The sentence of one year and six months imprisonment is set to commence immediately, but the option of the ₦1.5 million fine offers Ofielu a non-custodial route provided he fulfills the restitution order.
This case highlights the courts’ willingness to apply both custodial and fine-based penalties in theft and fraud matters, especially when digital systems and legitimate accounts are involved. It also underscores the importance of corporate vigilance and the role of financial-crime investigation in tracing unauthorised transactions.
