Beatrice Adeyeye, a retired civil servant from The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Oyo State, has raised the alarm over the disappearance of the sum of N450,000 from her Wema Bank account.

The pensioner intended to use the money, which was a loan from the cooperative society, to facilitate a personal project.

Adeyeye told FIJ that the debit alerts on her mobile showed that the money was moved through the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) from the Wema Bank branch inside the campus, and that her ATM card was in her possession all through the period the fraudulent transaction was being carried out.

“The debit alerts were two,” she said. “When I saw the first one around 3 pm on Monday, I ran inside to check my safe, and to my surprise, the card was intact. Then, I saw another one. A total of N450,000 had been transferred out of my account.”

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HOW IT ALL STARTED

On Friday, Adeyeye had tried to use an ATM belonging to another bank in the Ojoo area of Ibadan when the ATM seized her card. She rushed to the Wema Bank branch on campus to lodge a complaint and she was issued a new ATM card that same afternoon.

Under the regulations of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), all commercial banks are required to block an old ATM card for customers before a new card is issued.

Adeyeye confirmed that her new card was active by withdrawing N50,000 from the bank.

Following the fraudulent withdrawal of N450,000 from her account, the pensioner visited the bank, but she was told the new card was probably stolen from her.

“The banker asked me for my bank details and the time the transaction was carried out,” she said. “He checked their CCTV and showed me a clip of the supposed customer that used their ATM at that time. When I insisted that the new card was not stolen from me, they asked me to come back on Wednesday.”

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CURIOUS MOVES BY WEMA BANK

On getting to the bank on Wednesday morning in the company of her son, Adeyeye was first asked by the bank manager if she was careless with her card details.

This reporter requested to speak with the bank manager, who refused to reveal her name. She sounded apprehensive on the phone. 

“Are you a family member of our customer?” She asked. “We will resolve issues and get back to you if there is any need.”

Meanwhile, Olaitan, Adeyeye’s eldest son, told FIJ that two workers at the bank took his mother to the ATM on Wednesday for account verification.

“When they asked her to input her ATM card, one of them was video-recording her behind the machine,” he said. “I think that is unprofessional to do. After doing that, the same card failed to validate the pin she once used.”

While the bank was foot-dragging on the whereabouts of Adeyeye’s money, FIJ’s independent investigation revealed that the money was transferred to the United Bank of Africa (UBA) and Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) accounts belonging to a certain Damilola Rasaq Taiwo.

Meanwhile, the Wema Bank manager at The Polytechnic has asked Adeyeye to visit the bank on Friday for feedback.