EFCC nabs Abuja bank manager for hoarding new notes worth N29m
The nation’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC) on Monday, arrested a senior bank official of “a leading commercial bank” in Abuja for hoarding new naira notes, according to its spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren.
The staff is the Operations Manager of the said commercial bank in the Central Area of Abuja.
The manager was alleged to have refused to load the Automated Teller Machines ( ATMs) despite having N29million of the redesigned naira notes in the branch’s vaults.
Uwujaren said before he was taken away for further questioning, the operatives ordered the loading of all the ATMs.
The EFCC also ensured payment across the counter to the delight of the customers who had spent hours on queues without getting the new notes.
The anti-graft agency stated that the latest discovery indicates “a sabotage of the government’s monetary policy by some banks.”
Uwujaren disclosed that operatives covered more than five bank branches today in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), adding that the operation was in continuation of the surveillance and visit to banks across the country to access their vaults and verify whether they are deliberately refusing to dispense cash.
The EFCC said it would continue the raid until normalcy is restored to the banking system, urging Nigerians finding it difficult to access funds at any bank and suspects foul play to contact the commission.
The bank had earlier in the day denied hoarding the new naira notes, saying they cannot be a clog in the wheel of efforts of the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria.
