Oghenefejiro Emmanuel, a Lagos-based finance officer, has narrated how N501, 000 he saved over a period of four years suddenly vanished his Ecobank account.

Speaking with FIJ, Emmanuel said he had opened the Ecobank account in December 2018 for the sole purpose of savings.

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“In December 2018, I opened an Ecobank account solely for savings. I had a debit card when I opened the account, but I kept it somewhere. I never got to see it,” Emmanuel told FIJ.

“In 2020, I needed to use some of the money but I realized the debit card had expired, so I left it there.”

Emmanuel stated that in 2022 he needed the money and then authorised his mother to help him get a new debit card.

“This year, I wanted to use the money but I was outside the country. I then asked my mum to speak with my account officer so she could get me a new debit card,” he said.

“I spoke with the bank manager and authorized my mum to get the card, sign it off and activate if for me. The bank manager was reluctant but he authorised it and a new debit card was given to her.

“In August, a friend of mine was attending an event in Delta state from the United Kingdom. I asked my mum to help me send the card through him alongside some perfumes.

“My mum did that but she ensured the envelope was sealed.”

The finance officer said after the friend collected the package from his mum and arrived in the UK with it, he received debits of N501, 000.

“When my friend left Nigeria he had a stopover in Cairo on September 9, and the same night N1000 was debited from my account,” he said.

“I didn’t pay attention to the debit because I assumed it was the cost incurred for getting a new debit card.

“Then on September 12, I got debits of N100,000 and N200,000 twice in quick succession, but unluckily for me, I didn’t see the debits until it was too late because I would usually leave the phone at home.”

Emmanuel said when the envelope containing the card was delivered to him, it was not tampered with neither was the seal broken.

“When I called my friend, he said he couldn’t explain what happened because the card was sealed in an envelope and the package was not transparent. He only gave me the envelope and I unsealed it. Nothing was fishy.”

He added that when he tried to reach Ecobank for explanation, all his efforts were futile.

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“I tried to call Ecobank but it wasn’t going through. I also sent an email but I got no response. I called my dad in Nigeria if he could help me follow up on the debit but he hasn’t been successful either.

“We just didn’t know what happened and how the money was withdrawn.”

FIJ sent an email to Ecobank for comments on the unauthorised transaction, but they were yet to respond at press time.