Scores of people in Kwara State who claimed to be customers of Ayonitemi
Cooperative Business Finance, on Tuesday as early as 7am, besieged the
premises of the bank alleging that they had been defrauded by the firm.
The wonder bank is located at Oniyangi, near the Emir Road, Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
Many
of the customers, most of them weeping, told PUNCH Metro they had lost
substantial amount of money which they deposited in the finance house.
They stated that they had been promised mouth watering financial offers
if they made deposit in the bank.
Many of them spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid being made subject of mockery by
people who might know them.
One
of them said she received information to come on Tuesday to collect her
money which she had been depositing in the bank for many months. She
claimed to have invested about N1m in the bank without her husband’s
knowledge and consent.
“I have been depositing money in the
bank for some months. They promised that they will not disappoint us.
They told us that they were from Kwara State and they had no other place
to run to. So, I was convinced that this bank was real. I did not even
inform my husband of my transactions with them. Unfortunately, they
disappointed us and ran away.”
Some other victims claimed to have
lost money ranging from N100,000 to N450,000. Some of them later
descended on the office of the firm and carted away office furniture and
items, including electronics.
Efforts to get the reaction of the officials of the bank proved abortive.
The
Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ajayi Okesanmi, said
the command had not been briefed that about the alleged fraud by the
bank.
