An Edo State High Court sitting in Benin City has sentenced a man, Chinedu Francis Nwabuisi, to two years’ imprisonment without an option of fine for converting N21.9 million mistakenly credited to his bank account to personal use.

Justice Irele Ifijeh handed down the sentence after finding Nwabuisi guilty of spending the sum of N21,939,237.27, which was erroneously transferred into his account by First Bank Plc following a system glitch.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), through its Benin Zonal Directorate, prosecuted Nwabuisi over the funds.

During the trial, prosecution counsel, M.S. Dahiru, presented two witnesses, including a senior First Bank official and an EFCC operative. The prosecution also tendered documentary evidence, which was admitted by the court.

In his defence, Nwabuisi reportedly told the court that he believed the money represented benefits due to him for operating a Point of Sale (POS) business with the bank.

However, after considering the evidence presented, Justice Ifijeh convicted him and imposed a two-year prison sentence without an option of fine.

The court also ordered Nwabuisi to restitute First Bank Plc, the complainant, with N21,939,732.27.

The restitution figure reported by the EFCC is slightly higher than the N21,939,237.27 said to have been mistakenly credited to his account.

The conviction underscores the legal consequences of converting funds received in error to personal use rather than reporting the transaction to the financial institution.