In continuation of its clampdown on those it describes as “elements frustrating efforts in making the redesigned Naira notes available to members of the public,” the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), has arrested an official of one of the commercial banks for alleged sabotage.
This comes as protests rocked Ibadan the Oyo State capital; and the President met with a delegation of the Progressive Governors Forum (Governors elected on All Progressives Congress, APC), and Governor Nasir el Rufai of Kaduna State revealed in a BBC Hausa Service interview that a governor was able to make a withdrawal of N500 million from a bank.
In Minna, the Niger State capital, a respondent told Everyday.ng: “It is very, very bad in Minna this morning. I went throughout the major streets of Minna from POS boot to POS boot looking for especially old notes because of the high charges on the new notes.
“I finally got 5,000 plus 1,000 charges on (5,000).”
Too bad.
CBN and commercial banks were never ready for the cashless program or did not anticipate its ripple effects.
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Said el Rufai,“It is not wrong to change currencies, every country do but you can not change it at this season of elections and give this limited time, where in this world that ever happened?”
“Politicians and big businessmen who are targeted by the policy have their ways of accessing the new notes, some of them own the banks, but what of poor, petty traders?
“All APC governors met on the issue, we saw how people suffer, we support the change of currency but time should be extended to months.
“We said let CBN, banks managers and we governors sat and discussed the issue, let’s work together and have a proper plan on how to go about it, we should have plans to follow people to their homes, villages and change the notes for them but not forcing them to go to banks which take some of them a hundreds kilometers.
“I tell you this change does not affect politicians, they have their money and they are prepared, they know how to access the new notes, it is the poor who don’t have ways, even yesterday we were told one of the governors was given 500 millions of the new notes.”
The bank official arrested in Abuja, who is the Branch Service Head of Stanbic IBTC Bank, Deidei Branch, Abuja, was taken into custody for her deliberate refusal to upload cash into the branch’s Automated Teller Machines (ATM) even when the cash was available, and people were queuing at the ATMs.
When the ICPC monitoring team stormed the bank at about 1:30 p.m to ensure compliance, and demanded explanation as to why all the ATMs were not dispensing cash, it was informed by the branch’s Head of Operations that the bank just got delivery of the cash.
However, according to a statement by Mrs. Azuka Ogugua, the ICPC spokeswoman, facts available to the its operatives indicated that the branch took delivery of the cash around 11:58 a.m and either willfully or maliciously refused to feed the ATMs with the cash.
The statement adds, “Against this backdrop, the ICPC team compelled the bank to load the ATMs with the redesigned Naira notes and ensured that they were all dispensing before arresting the culprit.
“Investigations are still ongoing, and the Commission will take appropriate actions as soon they are concluded.
“In a related development, the ICPC Compliance Team in Oshogbo has busted an FCMB in Osogbo, Osun State where some ATMs were loaded with cash with their wrappers un-removed, thus preventing the cash from being dispensed. The Team therefore directed that the wrappers be removed, and the cash loaded properly.
“However, when a follow-up visit was undertaken the following day to ascertain the level of compliance, the Team discovered that one of the ATMs was still loaded with the wrappers un-removed.
“The Operation Manager of the Bank was arrested and taken in for questioning.
“Similarly, seven Point of Sale (POS) operators as well as a security guard were arrested during the ongoing exercise in Osun State for charging exorbitant commissions for cash. Investigations, however, revealed that they got the money from (fuel) Filling Stations that collect new notes from fuel buyers, but they then resell the cash to the public at exorbitant rates.
“The arrested persons are helping the Commission with information to assist investigations and bust any syndicates involved in the hoarding or sales of the redesigned notes.”
Meanwhile, in some parts of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, residents vented their frustration over the scarcity of new Naira notes and fuel by taking to street protests on Friday.
Media reports said the residents blocked the Iwo Road Interchange, frontage of the State Secretariat at Agodi and other major roads in the city.
At the state secretariat, the fierce looking youths forcefully opened the gate and moved into the complex, heading straight to the Governor’sOffice situated within the complex.
They were, however, prevented from gaining entrance into the Governor’s Office following the quick response by security personnel manning the gates.
In the town, the protesters obstructed the major roads, thereby hindering free vehicular movement, which left many commuters stranded.
At Iwo Road Interchange, suspected hoodlums have hijacked the protest.
NAN reports that they were seen blocking all the adjoining roads, burning tyres and harassing motorists and the commuters.
At the Gate/Bus Stop and Idi-Ape axis, the protesters blocked the roads, diverting vehicles from the direction.
NAN also reports that a cross section of the protesters attributed their actions to the frustrations being faced in the banks and filling stations.
A video also emerged showing protesters vandalising a bank premises.