A security guard at the Ikorodu Senior Grammar School, Lagos, Shamusideen Shobowale, says his family are hungry after a sum of N19,877.65 was allegedly withdrawn from his salary account with the Skye Bank Plc without his consent.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the sum was withdrawn on December 15, 2015, by a yet-to-be identified individual from Shobowale’s N24,000 December salary, which was paid into his account by the state government on the fateful day.
It was gathered that the fraud happened a few hours after the 57-year-old man withdrew N1,000 from the salary, using the Automated Teller Machine of the bank’s branch on Beach Road, Ikorodu.
The guard told our correspondent that he would have withdrawn the whole salary on the fateful day, but decided otherwise in anticipation of the New Year celebration.
He said he had been going from one branch of Skye Bank to another in a bid to get his money back to no avail.
He said, “I was confused when I received two other alerts on my phone that day after I had withdrawn N1,000. The first alert indicated N7,099.35 withdrawal, while the second one was N12,778.30. I went to complain at the branch where I withdrew the N1,000. I was told somebody must have used my ATM card. I told them the card was with me when the fraud took place.
“I left there for the Skye Bank branch in Ikeja, where I requested the statement of my account. It is in the copy of the account statement that I discovered details of the two withdrawals as 90001071 NETELLER 403-451-8020 LA MU 172074 and 62925128 NETELLER.COM LONDON LA GB 089913 respectively. I asked the man, who printed the statement for me, when I would get my money, but he said he could not tell. I also went to the Skye Bank’s headquarters on Akin Adesola, Victoria Island, and explained my plight to one Mr. Bright. But he told me it was a fraud and that there was nothing the bank could do about it.
“I wanted to use part of the salary to buy things for my children as New Year’s gifts so that they would also be happy. Life is difficult for us now because the salary is all I use to sustain myself and my family.”
Shobowale had also, in a petition dated December 30 and obtained by our correspondent, urged the manager of the bank’s branch on Beach Road to investigate the fraudulent transaction and reverse the withdrawals.
The petition read in part, “I am the holder of Skye Save Plus account number 101280732 maintained in your branch. I am bringing to your attention certain unauthorised withdrawals, which are fraudulent, from my account. By two entries posted as 90001071 NETELLER 403-451-8020 LA MU 172074 and 62925128 NETELLER.COM LONDON LA GB 089913, the sum of N19,877.65 was withdrawn illegally without my consent and authority.
“I humbly demand an investigation of these fraudulent activities on my account and I demand a reversal.”
In a visit to the branch on Monday, an official of the bank, who did not want his name in print because she was not authorised to speak to the press, told PUNCH Metro that Shobowale’s petition had been forwarded to the appropriate quarters, adding that the withdrawals might be reversed.
She said, “We are still investigating the transactions. I have forwarded the man’s complaint to the appropriate authorities and they are working on it.”
Bright, the bank’s official on Victoria Island, also told PUNCH Metro that investigation was going on the fraud.
“We cannot say anything on it until the investigation is concluded,” he added.
