More startling discoveries have continued to rattle Nigeria’s banking sector following scarcity of the new naira notes.
In some parts of the country, some senior officials of commercial banks have been arrested for hoarding the newly redesigned currency of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Following bitter complaints from Nigerians, especially bank customers over paucity of the new cash, the Federal Government has directed anti-graft agencies to swoop on those frustrating Nigerians.
This situation has led to chaos and long queues at banks across the country.
In order to tame the menace, CBN officials and security operatives have been monitoring conducts of commercial bank management in the manner they dispense cash.
Operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) said they discovered N258 million stashed in the vault at the head office of Sterling Bank in Abuja.
According to a statement by ICPC, the discovery followed one of the commission’s operations at ensuring that commercial banks and other interest groups do not flout the apex bank’s directive of cash hoarding.
Explaining how the operation went, ICPC said when its officials visited the bank and discovered the stashed new naira notes in the bank’s vault, it was informed that the cash was the remnant of what the CBN had given the bank for onward distribution to its branches.
The monitoring team said it found out that only the sum of N5 million each was distributed to various branches of Sterling Bank.
Signed by the ICPC spokesman, Mrs. Azuka Ogugua, the statement further revealed that the regional and service managers of the bank were apprehended but later granted administrative bail while further investigation would be carried out on the matter.
Also, a security guard of one of the banks was arrested for contributing to the chaos within the bank premises.
The ICPC said it also nabbed the Head of Operations, Keystone Bank, Mararaba in Nasarawa State for frustrating its customers at getting the new naira notes by hoarding the currency.
According to the anti-graft team, while on its routine operation, it found out that the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) at the branch were not dispensing to its customers while other bank customers were accessing only N1000 despite being given all the denominations by the CBN.
After the unscheduled visit to the bank, the commission disclosed that the ATMs started dispensing N5000 to non-customers and N10000 to its customers.
The team also revealed that it arrested one Abdulkareem Shaibu, a Security Guard with 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 which he was using to collect money for different unknown persons who were not within the bank premises at that time, Adam and Umar were arrested in front of Zenith Bank, 1st Avenue Gwarimpa, for selling the new naira notes.
Relatedly, two officials of FCMB Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo, Osun State were apprehended for assaulting officers of ICPC and CBN Cash Swap Monitoring Team.
Investors King reports that these fresh arrests came as Nigerians continue to rage over the cash crisis ravaging the country for weeks now.
