By ADELOWO OLADIPO, Minna

The Bankers’ Committee has allegedly ordered all Deposit Money Banks in Minna, Niger State’s capital, to shut down both their branches and ATMs to customers effective from 10th September 2021 until further notice.

This was contained in a communique issued by the committee after a meeting held at the CBN office in Minna on Tuesday 9th September.

The directive was said to have been in reaction to the closure of commercial banks in Minna and the 3-day notice served to the other commercial outlets such as eateries , AEDC, among others over alleged bogus “tax liability claims by the Niger State Internal Revenue Service.”

In the communique, the committee was said to have requested the unconditional unsealing of all banking premises to allow for business operations beginning from 9th September, 2021.

“The withdrawal of the notice of enforcement served on the Banks and other commercial outlets was said to have rather called for “open negotiation and reconciliation of available records”.

“A standing committee to be set up to review each of the Banks’ claims vis-a-vis the available records,” the communique read.

Meanwhile, a visit to a branch of GT Bank at Tunga, near Tunga Market in Minna metropolis beside the Niger State Transport Authority ( NSTA) park at about 3:05 pm revealed that both the banking hall and the ATM galleries were closed to customers as of the time of the visit by the Sunday Tribune on Friday.

It was further observed that the numerous customers that came to the bank to transact business have had to scale the iron bars that served as the entrance gates to the bank that were closed to customers in order to either make some withdrawals from their personal or companies bank accounts or to deposit money into their accounts or to other Banks were not successful, as Bank’s three entrance doors and the ATM galleries were all closed to customers.

However, when Tribune Online made enquiries from the few security men on duty on what was responsible for the closure of the branch to customers, who were all expressing their displeasures as they hurriedly leave the bank in order to beat the rains what was threatening to fall as a result of the cloudy weather, in that part of Minna, as of the time of the visit to the Bank, the Security Guards on duty at the bank politely informed the reporter that the closure was official.

They were however not able to give an answer to the question of when the bank shall be opened to customers as being demanded. (Saturday Tribune)

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