By: Dawda M. Jallow
A man accused of attempting to fraudulently withdraw money from an Access Bank account using another person’s Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card has been remanded at Mile II Central Prison after pleading guilty before the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court.
The accused, Idrissa Kebbeh, appeared before Principal Magistrate Sallah M’bai on Thursday on a charge of attempting to commit an offence, contrary to Section 338 of the Criminal Offences Act.
The prosecution, represented by Corporal Adama Badjie on behalf of the Inspector General of Police, alleged that on 31st July 2026, at Kairaba Avenue in the Kanifing Municipality, Kebbeh attempted to commit the offence of stealing.
After the charge was read and interpreted in a language he understood, Kebbeh pleaded guilty and the court entered a conviction on his own plea.
Presenting the facts of the case, the prosecution told the court that the accused went to the Access Bank branch on Kairaba Avenue and attempted twice to withdraw money using an ATM card, but both transactions were unsuccessful.
The prosecution said Kebbeh later approached a bank teller for assistance. When asked to provide the account number linked to the card, he reportedly said he did not know it.
According to the prosecution, the teller verified the account details and discovered that they did not correspond with the accused. The matter was referred to senior bank officials, who questioned Kebbeh about the ownership of the ATM card.
The court heard that Kebbeh claimed one Kebba Dampha had instructed him to withdraw money on his behalf. However, when contacted by the bank, Dampha reported that his bank documents had been missing for some time.
The incident was subsequently reported to the Kairaba Police Station, where Kebbeh was arrested and questioned.
Police investigations established that the accused was a former security officer with Massa Security Company Limited and that the missing bank documents had previously been found by another individual and later handed to him while he was on security duty.
The prosecution tendered several exhibits, including an identification card in the name of Kebba Dampha, a Wave card, an Access Bank Visa card, a driver’s licence and another identity card. The accused’s cautionary and voluntary statements were also admitted into evidence.
Principal Magistrate M’bai ordered that Kebbeh be remanded at Mile II Central Prison pending sentencing.
The case was adjourned to 17 August 2026 for plea in mitigation and sentencing.