Internal manipulations and sharp practices that characterized the collapsed and merging of Banks in Nigeria have been reinvented in the United Bank for Africa, UBA.
The ongoing manipulation recently took its toll at the UBA branch, at Area 3 Abuja where the management is perfecting every known financial shenanigan cover up the cesspit the bank has been known for over the years.
Like other previous fraud associated with UBA. Our investigations revealed that on January 3, 2009 Nbillion found its way into a savings account 2031579683, belonging to one Peter Ujah, a Driver attached at the Area 3 branch of UBA.
The high octane scandal and subsequent transactions on the Account has the complexion of fraud, as the money was left in the account to cool off for three months before the hawks could feast on it despite the alarm raised by Mr Ujah, when the alert hit his handset.
To facilitate the fraud without interference from the account holder, the management clamps on the account without recourse to Ujah whose salary and other allowances are tied to the account.
We reliably gathered that despite the persistent complain from Mr. Uja that fell on deaf ears, Ujah was introduced to one Adamu, an officer with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by his cousin who allegedly invaded the branch at Area 3, with some police officer purportedly to arrest some bank officers linked to the fraud.
Investigations at the EFCC office, shown that Ujah’s cousin and Adamu who claimed to be an officer with the EFCC must have played a fast one on Ujah, as there is no record at the EFCC to prove that Adamu, whose identity could not be established by the Commission ever reported or was sent to the Bank.
Sources at the EFCC told our correspondent last week “There is procedures in reporting a case at the Commission, such complaint must come inform of petition or in writing, but there is nothing like that in our records”, he said the source alleged that the said Adamu must be fake.
Interestingly, apart from Adamu’s MTN number (with held by us) Ujah could not remember his surname. Where the bank officials arrested by Adamu and his police accomplice were detained and interrogated remained a matter of conjecture.
Instructively, the official query to Mr. Ujah from UBA for inviting EFCC into what the management described as “internal” came in form of verbal reprimand; neither Norwood Consultant, that engaged Ujah as contract staff to UBA was informed of the development before his account was frozen and his salary blocked, as he neither had direct access to his account across the counter in the bank nor his ATM.
According to Ujah, “They just left me in the bank without a word or my salary” he alleged.
In a petition to the Complaint Affairs Commission, obtained by SocietyGists Peter stated this much.
His statement of account obtained from Wuse 2 branch of the UBA on February 2, 2012 showed that the money was transferred in tranches into other accounts, leaving no trace of how it was moved from his account.
Last week when our reporter visited the Area 3 branch of the UBA, Abuja, a management staff who refused to disclose his identity, said “he’s no longer our staff, he is a staff of Norwood consultant” he said.
In his reactions, Ujah who has spent four years with the branch presented his Identity Card, which shows he is still a staff of UBA. “If they are saying I am not a staff, they have not terminated my appointment, if they have, why have they not collected the ID card? We were engaged and trained by Norwood Consultant and deplored to UBA as Driver and I have spent four years with UBA” he said.
To further puncture the claim of UBA, Ujah whom UBA official said has been sacked despite the frozen of his account for over one year still receives alert of the insurance remittance by UBA into his insurance account at the Standard IBTC. This shows his salary has been running.