Bank customers in Anambra have been subjected to unexpected difficulties as a result of difficulties arising from the compulsory Bank Verification Number (BVN) ordered by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Many of them are now on edge as it has become an uphill task to carry out any transaction on their accounts following what some bank workers described as discrepancies in their BVN registration.

Investigations by News Express showed that the problems range from discrepancy in the date of birth or year, contradictory birth place, number omissions in the BVN given to customers and the inability of some customers to give the accurate date on which they were issued with BVN.

In Diamond Bank branch located along the Enugu – Onitsha Expressway in Awka, the statecapital, there was a near pandemonium yesterday as some of the customers accused the bank staff of deliberately looking for avenues to fault their BVN so as to make it impossible for them to withdraw money from their accounts. News Express saw over 30 persons waiting anxiously in the banking hall to see the officer delegated to attend to them.

One of the customers, who looked distressed, paced up and down, lamenting how the BVN problem was delaying her transfer to a bank in Lagos after her customer had prepared a waybill for the goods she was expecting.

“It appears this bank wants to use this BVN issue to seize our money,” she said. “I did the BVN in another bank over one year ago and they are telling me here that there is a problem with my BVN.

“The delay in transferring my money is delaying my waybill and they are telling me to go and swear an affidavit for that. Unfortunately, the courts in Anambra State are not working as a result of the on-going strike by the judiciary workers who have been on strike for the past three months. Honestly, I am so devastated; I don’t know what to do now.”

Another customer, Mr. Oguejiofor Emmanuel, complained that his problem was his place of birth, which he changed after his parents told him that he was born in Enugu and not Aba as he was earlier putting in his records which he also used to open an account in another bank.

Mr. Emmanuel said the bank told him to go and swear an affidavit before he could be attended to, adding that with the ongoing strike by judiciary staff in the state, he cannot withdraw from his account even when he has urgent crisis to attend to.

Officials of the bank declined comment on the matter, insisting that whatever measures they are taking are as directed by CBN. They denied deliberately stopping anybody from withdrawing from his or her account, saying that those having problems are those who did not provide the the right information during their BVN registration.

•Photo shows CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele.

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