Published 31st Jan, 2025

By Tola Owoyele

Access Bank has sent yet another message to Tobiloba Adeleke, one of its Lagos-based customers, insisting she repays a N1.25 million loan taken by thieves after her phone was stolen on May 22.

Adeleke made this latest development known to FIJ in a phone interview on Friday.

“I don’t even know what to do anymore on this issue and it is beginning to affect me psychologically,” Adeleke said.

“They sent another WhatsApp message to me last week Friday, January 24, saying I would be reported to the Credit Bureau if I did not clear the N1.25 million debt immediately.

“This is the second time I would be receiving a message like this from Access Bank in this month. The first message was sent on January 9.

“They called this new message a final reminder. My heart skipped when I read it. This was a loan I never obtained, a loan taken by people I have never met before in my life. I am simply tired of these messages and I have explained all that transpired to the bank several times but they would not listen to me.”

On August 18, 2024, FIJ published a story on how Adeleke’s phone was stolen by unknown persons in Yaba, Lagos. The incident happened during a heavy rainfall on May 22.

The phone was stolen while the Lagos resident was trying to push through people to locate a safe place that could prevent her from getting soaked by the rain.

While Adeleke was trying to retrieve the 9mobile line in the stolen phone, the thieves had used the gadget to obtain loans through her Access Bank account four times.

When she was eventually able to retrieve the line, she discovered the thieves had used her account to borrow N293,800, N145,600, N239,500 and N214,600 from the bank.

Adeleke subsequently visited Access Bank branches to explain that the loan did not originate from her but the financial institution insisted it had to be repaid.

The funds the fraudsters obtained from Access Bank were transferred to a UBA account 2330360737 belonging to Rofiat Abike Fatai, and a Smartcash payment service account 9073633190 belonging to Oluchukwu Igwe.

When FIJ sent an email to Access Bank’s complaint desk at the time, Abayomi Okunola, a bank representative, issued the following response:

“We empathise with you concerning the fraudulent transactions. Please be informed that a complaint has been logged on your behalf and you will receive feedback upon conclusion. The issue has also been escalated to the appropriate team.”

The official did not take his time to review the identity of the sender of the email before issuing a response.

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22 replies on “Access Bank Insists Woman Must Repay N1.25m Loan Lagos Thieves Took From Account”

What concerns the bank with who used a phone. She has to pay up. Possibly she can make a case against the accounts that received the money.

The banks are fraudulent how can multiple loan s be obtain without verification by the time

Is this how easy access bank grants loans even up to four times in a row?

Exactly….how can a bank give a loan four times? That is not possible. It means there are fraudsters in the bank as well and they should be interrogated.

So banks can grant loan online without due protocols, I don’t understand this Nigeria system

Knowledge is key in everything, the customer should have blocked the account immediately the issue happened either by visiting access bank branch or dialing *901*911# on any phone.

Access Bank is to blame. How would you grant loan without seeing the account owner at all and the loan was granted four different times.
Even overdraft cannot be granted that easily and the four loans were paid out within one month.
Access Bank should investigate their staff because definitely that’s an inside job.
Owner of the account should not stress herself at all as she didn’t sign any document for Access Bank.
Access Bank should stop harassing her

I’m surprised that ACCESS bank will grant loans 4 times in a space of time to a customer who has never applied for a loan before and yet the system cannot rise RED Flag! Compromised system!!!

This is really bad
How can strange people access your account and you disbursed 1.25M not once transaction but multiple times till it got to that amount

Access bank why can’t you make a research of the money the money was credited too

Access bank this is really unfair
Account that hasn’t been active for years how could you give a loan of 1.25M

It’s better you make a research before accusing innocent woman

Access bank fraud department know the right thing to do if they really know it’s not insider work, how possible to grant a loan 4 times in a roll in which it never happen on the account before, alot of fraud is going on in access bank this days

It’s really unfair to ask her to repay a loan she didn’t collect. Why would a bank facilitate a loan up to 4 times without proper documentation?

Access Bank is very porous. I had the same experience during my NYSC 4 years ago. I was robbed in a keke and my account was used to get a loan of 480k and subsequently transferred to a first bank account. …..I didn’t realize this until Access Bank started debiting my account. Visited the bank many times to see if this could be resolved, they only promised me they’ll work on it. When I passed out of NYSC and couldn’t get any money to put in the account. Access Bank started their threat, I had to look for money from time to time to put in the account. Access Bank really needs to work on its security and accessibility to loans.

The Bank itself should have an investigative and Fraud unit. They literally have the answer to where the money went to. Simply freeze both destination accounts + BVNs and fish out the thieves. Wasn’t there any confirmation/app security checks preloan?

Scammers scammed me of N1.440,000 through Access Bank Account even with court order Access Bank could not trace the Account.

Take your mental health seriously and don’t let this get to you that much sister. Just make sure you’re not saving or receiving money in any bank account that’s attached with your BVN for now. God will come through for you.

This is so annoying, there should be an investigation done by the bank since there are account names where the money was sent to. Rofiat Abike Fatai and Oluchukwu Igwe took the money so why do they insist Tobiloba pays? There should be a way for them to contact the banks of those people and get the money. Access bank fix up and stop harassing Tobi.

Is it difficult to trace the individual account owners that the loan were transferred to.

You just echoed my thoughts, no verification of any type?

I wonder ooo

The loans are quickly approved, but why?
The matter has been reported as fraud, why not investigate and resort to the results of the investigation.
The money was transferred to known account and the owners can be tracked to help the investigation, even if they are merchants.
There will be lead
Before judgement investigation results is necessary.