ICPC nabs Bank Manager sabotaging withdrawal of new naira notes

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it has arrested the manager of a bank in Osogbo, the Osun capital, over ATMs loaded with naira notes that were blocked from dispensing.

In a statement, Azuka Ogugua, spokesperson of the anti-graft agency, said the cash bundles were loaded into the ATMs while still wrapped, and as such, could not be dispensed through the machines.

“The ICPC Compliance Team in Osogbo 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 statement reads.

“The Team therefore directed that the wrappers be removed, and the cash loaded properly.

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“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.”

The commission also disclosed that the branch service head of a Stanbic IBTC Bank in  Abuja, was taken into custody over the refusal to upload cash into the branch’s Automated Teller Machines (ATM),

“When the ICPC monitoring team stormed the bank at about 1:30pm 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,” the commission said.

“However, facts available to the ICPC operatives indicated that the branch took delivery of the cash around 11:58am and either willfully or maliciously refused to feed the ATMs with the cash.

“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.”