Published 13th May, 2022

By Daniel Ojukwu

The United Bank for Africa (UBA) has returned $1,500 belonging to Godwin Oluponmile, an Osun State-based freelance writer whose transaction was compromised by an ‘invalid account’ the bank created, to the original senders of the fund in Israel.

Oluponmile confirmed this development to FIJ on Thursday.

“UBA has finally credited the senders of the money. Now, we will look for ways of getting the money sent to me afresh. Thank you, FIJ,” he said.

FIJ had reported how the freelance writer opened a domiciliary account with the bank in March in order to receive a $1,500 from Yotam Flohr and Danny Trichter, co-founders of Accessibility Checker, an Israeli-based platform that reviews websites.

The payment was for an article Oluponmile wrote for Accessibility Checker earlier in the year.

The owners of the Israeli platform sent the money from Bank Leumi Le Israel in Israel, through Citibank in the US, to a UBA unit in Lagos, but the money never got to Oluponmile.

After the Israeli company paid the agreed $1,500 fee to the Nigerian writer, UBA said the account it opened for him had become invalid.

Oluponmile said he made several attempts to reach his account officer and the Ilesa branch Customer Service Manager in Osun State, where he opened the account, but they did not provide much help.

The matter became worse when the Israeli outfit could not get the money reversed back into its account.

However, after FIJ reported the story, Dele Olaoniye, the Ilesa UBA branch manager, called Oluponmile for a meeting, and the money was eventually returned to Yotam Flohr and Danny Trichter on Thursday.

“They have got the money; they mailed me today,” Oluponmile said.

He also sent a screenshot of a mail Trichter sent to him to confirm receipt of the payment.

“Good news, the money has finally arrived,” the email read.

“We received $1,445 and we paid and extra $40 for the initial fee, so we will deduct the amount of $95 from the payment.”