Published 4th Nov, 2023

By Abimbola Abatta

Timo Lati (not real name), an Abuja-based auditor, has shared how the United Bank of Africa (UBA) deducted N90,000 from his account twice after a strange credit.

Lati told FIJ that he was not expecting money from anyone on October 15 but received the sum of N90,000 from a Globus Bank account.

He said the money did not reflect in his available balance, and since he was not expecting money from anyone, he visited the UBA branch at Wuse Zone 4 in Abuja the following day and again on October 23.

On his first visit, the bank told him that two transfers of N90,000 were made into his account, one from Globus Bank and the other from Zenith Bank.

UBA also told him the two banks had reported the transaction as a system glitch from their end and said it would be resolved. However, the customer’s UBA account has been showing a negative balance of N90,000 since then. This means that if he deposits any amount equivalent to the negative balance, UBA will automatically debit him.

As a result of this, Lati has been unable to carry out transactions on the account.

He told FIJ he had written a series of letters, including a letter of consent addressed to the manager of the UBA branch in Wuse 4, but the problem persisted.

The unresolved negative balance makes Lati suspect that UBA is deliberately trying to make him pay a debt he knows nothing about.

While explaining his predicament to FIJ, Lati said, “My account with UBA has been placed on a negative balance since last month, and I have visited the bank on several occasions so they can return the account to its normal form but my efforts have proven abortive.

“I was made to understand that there was a system glitch by Globus Bank who sent the sum of N90,000 into my account, and so UBA had to place a lien on the amount, only for me to find out that my account had been placed on a negative balance.

“Since last month, my account hasn’t been removed from the negative status over an amount I didn’t withdraw or spend. I haven’t been able to use my account since last month.”

In response to one of the emails he sent to UBA, the bank told him he would receive feedback by October 31, as his complaint was already receiving attention.