By Precious Orunduyi

A Point of Sale (PoS) operator, Iyabo Omole, has dragged a Moniepoint account holder, identified simply as Habib, before a Magistrate’s Court sitting in Akure, over an alleged N1.5 million unauthorised transfer from her business account.

The matter, which came up on May 6, 2025, saw the complainant, through her legal counsel, Olakunle Ajayi, urging the court to intervene. She prayed the court for  a reversal of the disputed funds.

Narrating the incident, Ajayi told the court that the complainant was carrying out her regular operations at her PoS stand when an unidentified man approached her under the guise of conducting a transaction.

Ajayi alleged that the individual deployed certain technological tricks to manipulate Omole’s PoS terminal, resorting in a transfer of N1.5 million into a Moniepoint account bearing the name “Habib” without her knowledge or authorisation.

The complainant was said to have only discovered the transfer during her end-of-day account reconciliation.

She immediately reported the incident to her PoS service provider, Palmpay, who  directed her to the nearest Moniepoint office for further assistance.

According to Ajayi, it was subsequently confirmed that the funds had been credited to the defendant’s Moniepoint account.

However, defence counsel, A.I. Musa, challenged the classification of the transaction as fraud, insisting that the matter lacked the necessary elements to be so termed.

He also questioned the court’s jurisdiction to entertain the case under such allegations.

In his testimony, Habib admitted that he was approached by an individual who requested to use his account to receive funds.

He said the same person returned about 20 minutes later, confirmed the receipt of the funds and collected the equivalent amount in cash from him.

“I didn’t know the man was a fraudster. I was only helping him to carry out a transaction,”Habib said.

He added that the credit alert he received clearly bore the Iyabo Omole.

He told the court that he had no prior relationship with the said individual and that the transaction was the only dealing he had with him.

After hearing from both parties, Magistrate Taiwo Lebi directed the defendant to provide a receipt or any document confirming that he indeed withdrew the N1.5 million and handed it over to the said individual.

The matter was adjourned till May 9, 2025, for further hearing.