Secret Reporters No place to hide
Secret Reporters
From a Big, Strong, Reliable Bank to a Simpler, Smarter Bank. The white stallion bank which is supposed to demonstrate professionalism in the handling of its customer’s finances may have become expert pilfers as it appears that they now explore every means possible to deduct, charge and withhold the funds of their customers without batting an eye.
One of such financial unprofessionalism is the defrauding of Obo Etok Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society (MPCS) of a whopping N400,000 (Four Hundred Thousand Naira) while trying to open an account with the bank.
Information available to SecretReporters revealed that on 16th March 2016 representatives of the Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society (MPCS) which is located in Akwa Ibom State approached Union Bank to open a Corporative account.
Having satisfied all requirements listed for operating such an account, they were requested to deposit a sum of N400,000 (Four Thousand Naira) for the Corporative account to be activated.
After depositing the said amount with the account opening officer, identified as Miss Idiongo at the Udo Udoma Avenue branch of the bank in Uyo, a duly stamped and signed deposit slip was issued to them with assurances that an account number will be generated and communicated to them in a couple of days. However, to the surprise and chagrin of the Cooperative Society, days turned to weeks, then to months, and two years after no account number was issued to them nor was any concrete explanation given for the delay despite series of calls placed to the Bank.
Seeing that the Bank has become lethargic towards the matter, the MPCS in a Letter dated 13th November 2017 addressed to the Branch Manager, Union Bank Plc Udo Udoma Avenue, demanded a refund of the N400,000 (Four Hundred Thousand Naira) deposited with the bank, but this met a brick wall as the branch manager neither replied the letters nor refunded the money.
Findings showed that while the Cooperative Society was left with no option but to shut down its operations due to the fragrant impunity of the bank, the bank allegedly diverted the N400,000 into other investments for two years thereby making profits running into Millions of Naira.
With all available options to retrieve the money exhausted, the Cooperative Society was left with no option but to legally demand for the refund of the deposited sum as well as the payment of N20,000,000 (Twenty Million Naira) representing interests accrued from the investments made by the bank with the deposited amount as well as damages for the insufferable agonies meted on them during the period.
Even though the bank is doing everything legal to escape the hammer of the law and denying such involvement of their bank in the fraud, we can authoritatively report that before the legal battle, they earlier made an offer of N700,000 to the legal representative of the litigants which was turned down.
When contacted for their reaction, the Communications head of Union Bank Ugochukwu Ekezie, who neither took calls placed to his known line nor replied to text messages sent to him for more than 5 days rather choose to redirect our enquiry to a representative as a way of stalling the report in the guise that the bank will get back to us which they never did as at press time.
