The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), on Friday, in Abuja and Oshogbo in Osun State arrested officials of commercial banks, security guards and POS operators for alleged sabotage.
In Abuja, the bank official, who is the branch service head of Stanbic IBTC Bank, Deidei Branch, was arrested and taken into custody for deliberate refusal to upload cash into the branch’s Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).
The ICPC spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, in a statement on Friday, said she carried out the deliberate act even when the cash was available and people were queuing at the ATM points.
Ogugua explained that the raid of the banks was in continuation of ICPC’s clampdown on elements frustrating efforts in making the redesigned Naira notes available to members of the public.
The Commission also arrested seven Point of Sale (POS) operators and a security guard in Osun State for charging exorbitant commissions for cash.
Azuka Ogugua narrated that the ICPC’s Compliance Team in Oshogbo busted an FCMB in Osogbo, Osun State where some ATMs were loaded with cash with their wrappers un-removed, thus creating difficult for the dispensing of money.
Ogugua explained that the Operation Manager of the FCMB in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, was arrested for blocking ATMs from dispensing.
She stated that the ICPC Compliance Team in Oshogbo 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.
According to him, the cash bundles were loaded into the ATMs while still wrapped, and as such, could not be dispensed through the machines.
He said the Team, therefore, directed that the wrappers be removed, and the cash loaded properly.
He stated that when the ICPC monitoring team stormed the bank at about 1:30 pm 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 investigations revealed that the arrested suspects got the money from filling stations that collect new notes from fuel buyers, but they later resell the cash to the people at exorbitant rates.
“However, facts available to the ICPC operatives indicated that the branch took delivery of the cash around 11:58 am 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,” the commission stated.
“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,” it added.
“The arrested persons are helping the Commission with information to assist investigations and bust any syndicates involved in the hoarding or sales of the redesigned notes,” it added.
