Published 30th Apr, 2023

By Tola Owoyele

Sarah Matthews (not real name), an Osun State-based civil servant, has detailed how N3,334,000 mysteriously left her Zenith Bank account.

Matthews told FIJ that the incident happened on February 25, the day Nigeria held its presidential and national assembly elections.

“I was at home when I received three debit alerts in quick succession,” Matthews told FIJ.

“It seemed like a dream. The first notification that came in showed that N2 million had been debited from my account. This was then followed by a N1 million debit alert, and another N334,000 deduction. Because the elections were still ongoing, and movements were restricted, I had no one to turn to for help.”

Matthews said she eventually visited a Zenith Bank branch to lodge a complaint on February 27.

“I was asked to write a complaint letter at the branch and I did,” Matthews said.

“Afterwards, I asked the official that attended to me if he could help trace the accounts were the funds went into but the official said Zenith Bank had no power over such.

“I found the entire development strange and disheartening. This also simply means that customers’ funds are not in any way safe in banks any more.

“I do not even have a debit card on the account and fraudulent acts like this was what informed my decision not to have any. Despite this, a huge amount has been stolen from my account and my bank that is supposed to help me recover it is not being helpful.

“From the personal investigation I did, the first N3 million that was stolen from my account went into a PalmPay account belonging to an AFUSAT ADUKE SANYAOLU.

“The N334,000 that was also stolen first impacted a Zenith Bank account belonging to a DANIEL CHUKWUDI OBIORAH. The money was then later transferred into the same PalmPay account belonging to AFUSAT ADUKE SANYAOLU.

“This means that all the accounts that were used to commit the fraud were under the control of the same fraudster or fraudsters. From the way this matter is being handled, Zenith Bank is also giving me the impression that it could be an inside job.

“I laboured for the stolen money and I want it back. Zenith Bank should give me back my money. I did not in any way compromise my account details. Just like I said earlier, I don’t also have a debit card on the account.”

On April 12, FIJ sent an email to Zenith Bank’s customer care desk for comments on the matter.

Two days later, Eseoghene Agbaire, a member of the bank’s Zenith Direct team, responded to the mail, stating that the matter was still being investigated. The official also said a resolution would be communicated to the account holder.

Two weeks after Agbaire’s promise, however, FIJ reached out to Matthews to confirm if she had heard from Zenith Bank, but she said no one from the financial institution had spoken to her on the way forward.

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