Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Asaba branch, yesterday, warned commercial banks in Delta State against diverting new naira notes to branches outside the state.

The warning followed an excuse from the manager of one the commercial banks that some of the money received from CBN to pay customers in the state were moved to branches in neighboring Anambra State.

Director, Banking Services, CBN, Abuja, Mr. Sam Okejere, leading a team of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and State Security Service (SSS), cautioned the bank manager (names withheld) on Wednesday in Asaba during the monitoring of banks and Point of Sales (POS) operators.

The director, who was suspicious because of the large crowd of customers at the entrance to the bank, said if the money released to the bank had been judiciously dispensed in Asaba, there wouldn’t have been that kind of crowd around the bank.

Apart from directing the bank to load all its ATMs for payment and reduce the crowd within and outside the banking hall, the team ordered that the branch should stop diversion of money.

On why the money was taken to the bank’s branch in Anambra State, the bank manager said that had been the practice of the bank, stating that there was no hidden motive but to satisfy yearnings of their customers.

“It is the practice of the bank. We also get from Anambra to Delta at times when we need money here. We are partners in progress with CBN. We won’t do anything to jeopardise the policy and at the same time won’t do anything to flout the directive of the apex bank,” she assured. (The Guardian)