Nigeria, May 22 -- The Kaduna State High Court in Kaduna has sentenced two former bank employees, Obadofin Bamise and Hadiza Yakubu, to seven years' imprisonment each for theft after they admitted diverting customers' funds linked to accounts used for a federal government palliative scheme.

According to a statement by EFCC on Thursday, the trial judge, A. A. Bello, delivered his judgement after both defendants pleaded guilty to a separate one-count filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The court, however, allowed each convict the option of paying a N50,000 fine instead of imprisonment.

Both defendants are former employees of Access Bank Plc and were prosecuted by the EFCC under section 274 of the Kaduna State Pe...