The EFCC has been petitioned over a suspicious N4m withdrawal from an Access Bank account. Get the full story on this financial dispute.
A resident of Ebo Quarters in Benin City, Osehobo Onojie Bernard has filed a formal petition with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) accusing Access Bank of fraudulent activities related to his bank account No. 1838861087.
Osehobo submitted a petition on June 24, 2024 in which he raised concerns regarding negligent management and deceitful transactions linked to his bank account by the authorities. He informed the Commission that Access Bank officials facilitated an illicit withdrawal totaling N4,201,000 (four million two hundred and one thousand naira) from his account between May 16-18, 2024 without authorization.
In November 2023, he was approached by two identified Access Bank staff from their branch located at 39 Akpakpava Road in Benin City. They convinced him to open a High Interest Deposit Account (HIDA) with funds from his existing account No. 0040251257 held at the Airport Road Benin City branch. He followed through and was eventually assigned a new account number for HIDA -1838861087.
According to Osehobo, the HIDA account number 1838861087 was opened by Access Bank staff using his other bank account details from No.0040251257, which he managed without an ATM card or mobile banking services. He mentioned that withdrawals are only possible with a teller who verifies his signature, BVN and NIN before authorizing transactions, particularly for significant amounts of money.
Osehobo provided a comprehensive report of events, stating that with the aid of interest returns, the account had amassed an impressive amount by November 2023. Nonetheless, in May 2024 when he failed to receive his customary birthday greeting from the bank but instead got sent a message comprising an OTP (One-Time Password), doubts began creeping into Osehobos’s mind due to this development.
Osehobo claimed that his continued investigations uncovered evidence suggesting that the bank officials masterminded a fraudulent scheme involving the OTP to gain access to his funds. He alleged that several unauthorized withdrawals were made on May 16, 17, and 18 in 2024 without his knowledge or consent using multiple transactions facilitated by misusing the OTP system.
In no uncertain terms, he stated his belief that Access Bank personnel had played a role in the deceitful withdrawings by exploiting internal banking procedures to bypass security measures. His communication conveyed both exasperation and the magnitude of monetary harm incurred; as he referred to it being a substantial amount taken from his wealth.
Osehobo urged the EFCC to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the matter, ensure that those responsible are held accountable and retrieve any misused funds. However, attempts to verify this claim were unsuccessful as officials at the GRA office of EFCC who spoke on anonymity confirmed that they were aware of it. The Access Bank Manager declined to disclose their name but disclosed that they had forwarded the petition to their headquarters for further scrutiny.
