Ako Moses, a Lagos-based worker, has accused Zenith Bank of failing in their duty to protect his account, leading to an unauthorised withdrawal of N180,000.
Moses told FIJ that although he contacted Zenith Bank immediately he was robbed while moving to Lekki from Ikeja on the night of February 23, they refused to block his account until the money was taken.
READ ALSO: 6 Months After Failed Transaction, Zenith Bank Has Not Refunded Medical Doctor
“I was robbed very close to Ransom Kuti Park in Lagos around 10 pm on February 23. I was waiting for a taxi there when the armed robbers came to attack me. They came with a bike. Even though I took to my heels when I saw them, they came after me with machetes,” he said.
Moses told FIJ that they took everything of value that he had on him, including the N28,000 in his wallet. He said his backpack containing an ATM card and a tennis racket worth N140,000 was also stolen.
“Everything was taken away that night. I was traumatised. On getting to Lekki, I reported to the police station about the incident. They told me I should have reported to a police station close to where the robbery took place. When I told my friend what happened that night, he told me to block my account immediately,” said Moses.
“First, I called UBA to confirm my balance and they told me it was around N400,000. It was untouched. I told them to freeze my account after telling them what had happened. I called Zenith Bank, where I had just N205,000, and told them to do the same. They assured me that they would.”
Moses said he received a call from Zenith Bank the following day.
“Zenith Bank called me to say that they had just observed a N180,000 withdrawal from my account. I asked them how that was possible after telling them to freeze my account immediately?” He said.
He said he suspected that the Zenith Bank customer agent he called earlier helped the robbers remove the money in exchange for a cut or directly removed the money.
“I went to Zenith Bank on Dorathy Way, Lekki, to complain about the unauthorised withdrawal, but instead, they blamed me that I could have blocked the account myself. My phone was stolen. How could I have done so? And the Zenith customer care I spoke with did not tell me about it. When I printed my bank statement, I discovered the money was moved through a PoS,” Moses said.
The Lagos-based worker told FIJ that subsequent emails to Zenith Bank yielded no positive result.
FIJ made several calls to Zenith Bank, but they were not answered. An email sent to them had also not been responded to at press time.
Subscribe
Be the first to receive special investigative reports and features in your inbox.