Policemen take over CBN office in Ondo as angry bank customers lay siege

Tosin Tope, Akure.

Armed policemen have taken over the premises of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) located in the Alagbaka area of Akure, the Ondo state capital, following a siege on the facility by some bank customers.

Daily Trust reports that scores of aggrieved bank customers had in the early hours of Tuesday stormed the CBN office following the refusal of many commercial banks in the state capital, Akure, to swap the old notes with the newly redesigned naira.

The customers who included commercial motorcyclists and drivers, traders, civil servants, businessmen, and women had besieged their various banks in exchange for the old notes for the new ones but were turned back by the officials.

A few of the customers said the banks were no longer collecting the old notes as of Monday and Tuesday morning.

Many of the customers were seen trooping out of the facilities of the commercial banks located at the Alagbaka axis.

They, however, complained that the Automated Teller Machines (ATM), of the commercial banks, were still dispensing the old notes.

“You can just imagine, the bank is not collecting the old notes from us. They directed us to go and deposit the money at the CBN office and it’s the reason why we are here right now.

“Sadly, these banks are still dispensing old notes to us and they are not collecting the old notes by hand any longer. It’s just frustrating,” one of the bank customers said in a protest.

A CBN official in Akure told Daily Trust that the apex bank would soon issue a statement directing the banks to start collecting the old notes from the customers.