Thousands of customers at various banks in Asaba and its environs on Wednesday resorted to booing officials of banks after queuing long hours without being able to get into the bank halls to transact their businesses.
While the bank officials struggled to ensure compliance with social distancing and other protocols against the spread of Coronavirus pandemic, the seemingly impatient customers rained curses on them and made attempts to forcefully go into the halls.
Their attempts however, were not successful due to the intervention of the security agents.
After the easing of the lockdown, various banks in Asaba and environs in Delta state, witnessed large numbers of customers, some of whom were struggling to use the Automated Teller Machines ( ATM) while others were allegedly involved in buying numbers for space on the queue to enter the banking halls.
Mr. Eziekiel Osikogwu a staff at the Fidelity Bank who spoke to our Correspondent in Asaba said that the inconveniences suffered by customers at present across other banks were due to the directives to discourage gatherings in banking halls.
At various banks visited, the customers streamed “It will never be well with you people, for our money again we are stranded, what mess is this, the bankers are thieves, they don’t want us into the hall and we cannot withdraw our money, God will punish all the bank officials who cannot help us.”
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While the shouting spree by customers lasted, investigations revealed that POS Operators were making more business transactions as customers who could not wait to make their transactions through banks, opted for the use of POS not minding the higher deduction which ranges between N60,00 and N50,00.
On the first Monday, after the lockdown was eased, the situation was worse as many of the customers went home in frustration.
Meanwhile, a banker who gave his name as Emmanuel Chijindu said that a minimum of three and maximum of five customers were allowed into the bank, adding that “at no time should there be more than 20 Persons in the bank including staff.”
Further investigation revealed that the volume of deposits outweighed over the counter withdrawals as the latter was discouraged and referred to ATMs as the cost of buying a number for space on the queue was between N1,000 and N1,500 from those who disguise as bank agents.
Some customers who spoke to our Correspondent on condition of anonymity described the situation as pathetic adding “We bought numbers to have our way into the bank halls for N1000, and N1,500 as we have no choice. The system to get back our money from the bank is terrible and we cannot afford the situation at all hence we bought numbers from those who were willing to sell to us; we are disappointed at the system, no physical distancing and use of face masks, it is really terrible.”
Although customers for withdrawals were redirected to patronize the ATMs, some of the dispensing machines visited at the time of this report were temporarily out of service.
