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Ecobank Nigeria Plc has refuted the claims of three customers
from its Ogoja branch in Cross River, stating that it did not collect any
deposits as claimed by the complainants, and as such is not liable to interest
payment as demanded.

The three customers of the bank, John Lukpata, Boniface Ugbem
and Okpe Idagu, had earlier accused the Ogoja branch management of the bank of
defrauding them bank of the interest accruing to the millions of naira fixed
deposit the lodged with the bank.

The customers, in their joint petition to the managing director
and chief executive of the bank, appealed to him to investigate their claims,
saying they had not been told the truth about the gain they made on their
deposits.

The claim

Specifically, the customers accused the Ogoja branch manager of
the bank, Michael Takim, of playing a fast one on them and have since taken
their case to the bank’s headquarters of the in Lagos for necessary action.

The counsel to the acclaimed defrauded customers, in his
petition entitled “Demand for the payment of our Deposit with your Bank”,
claimed that, acting on the “sound” financial advice of Mr. Takim, on the 18
August, 4 September and 3 October, the three customers lodged sums of money to
the tune of 11 million naira in various fixed deposit account with the branch.

The petitioners allege that, contrary to expressed terms of the
transactions as contained in the fixed deposit certificate issued them which
stated that the interest rate at maturity of the deposit was 14%, “no money was
paid to us at the maturity of the deposit”.

They consequently called on the managing director to take
immediate action considering the fact that, according to them, the delay in
paying them their deposits has caused them “undue pain and unnecessary
embarrassment”, with many of them forced into debt to meet their basic
obligation to their families.

The demands

The petitioners have thereby demanded the bank’s head office intervene
or risk the inquest of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) into
their allegation.

“In the circumstance, we hereby demand for the payment of our
deposit within fourteen (14) days falling which we shall process to seek other remedies
to recover our money without further notice,” they said, adding that, if the
agreed interest on their deposits is not paid by the bank, they will, beside
legal action, report the matter to the EFCC.

They emphasised that, if it was the other way round, the bank
would have since seized their assets and taken them to court for default.

Attempts to get the reaction of Mr. Takim to the allegations
were futile as he was said to have been summoned to the head office over an
undisclosed mission.

‘Not liable’

However, the bank, in its response to NEXT enquiries, said the
customers’ claim to have paid money into the bank is unfounded. “They do not
have payment slip to show in this regard, neither is there an acknowledgment in
the bank’s records that they had investments with the bank,” the bank’s
statement claimed.

According to the bank, the aggrieved customers went into a
private deal with the bank manager that flopped, and they were seeking ways to
rope the bank into the chaos, as means to recover their lost funds.

“Okpe Idagu, John Lukpata and Boniface Ugbem customers of
Ecobank Ogoja Branch entered into a private business deal with our former Ogoja
Branch Manager, Mr. Micheal Takim – that is to fund oil and gas business that
failed,” the statement further said.

The bank disclosed that the case has been reported to the police
in Calabar, who have since commenced investigation.

“Micheal Takim has made a statement to the police detailing the business
arrangements leading to the collection of monies from the complainants above,”
the bank concluded. “The bank did not collect any deposits from the
complainants and as such is not liable to interest payment as demanded.”