As part of ongoing efforts to ensure that commercial banks comply with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s directive on the distribution of the redesigned naira notes, operatives from the Independent Commission for Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes discovered last week on Friday the sum of N258 million hidden in the vault at the head office of Sterling Bank in Abuja, the punch reports.
This discovery followed one of the commission’s operations to ensure that commercial banks and other interest groups do not flout the lead bank’s directive.
This was revealed by the spokesperson for the anti-corruption agency, Ms. Azuka Ogugua, in a statement obtained by our correspondent on Tuesday night.
Ogugua noted that when the ICPC monitoring team visited the bank and discovered the new naira notes hidden in the bank’s vault, they were informed that the cash was the remainder of what CBN had given to the bank for further distribution to its branches.
“However, the team found that only the sum of N5 million each was distributed to its various branches.
“Both the regional and service managers were arrested and later granted administrative bail while the investigation continues,” he said.
Similarly, the commission effected the arrest of the Head of Operations, Keystone Bank, Mararaba in Nasarawa state for frustrating his clients in obtaining the new naira notes.
The ICPC team, during their routine operation, discovered that the branch’s ATMs were not delivering to their customers, while other bank customers were accessing only N1000 notes.
Ogugua added that only after the arrest was made and clarification was received from the CBN that the bank officials’ position was not correct, did the ATMs start dispensing N5,000 to non-customers and N10,000 to their customers. customers.
The team also arrested Abdulkareem Shaibu, a security guard at Zenith Bank, 3rd Avenue Gwarimpa, as well as Ali Adam and Shafiu Umar.
While Shaibu, the security guard, was arrested for being in possession of five ATM cards that he was using to collect money for different unknown persons who were not inside the bank premises at the time, Adam and Umar were arrested in front of Zenith Bank, 1st. Avenue Gwarimpa, for the sale of the new Naira banknotes.
In another development, two officials from FCMB Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo were arrested for assaulting officials from the ICPC and CBN Cash Exchange Monitoring Team.
It was reported last week that the branch was caught twice for loading wrapped banknotes into its ATMs.
Ogugua added: “The team, on a follow-up visit to determine the bank’s level of compliance, was assaulted inside the Branch Manager’s office by bank officials who vehemently refused to allow the ICPC to do its duty. legal, and then held hostage for approximately two hours.
“By the time reinforcement of the police and NSCDC officers arrived at the scene of the incident, the masterminds of the attacks had gone into hiding, leading to the arrest of two bank officers who were also accomplices.”
