…As N50m new notes ‘sighted’ inside politician’s Jeep in Kaduna
by Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Nigeria deposit commercial banks have resulted to dispensing twenty and fifty naira notes to customers on the counter inside the banking halls.
Our correspondent, who was in Guarantee Trust Bank branch located at Kano Road, reported that customers were withdrawing five to ten thousands naira in N20 notes inside the bank hall.
Although, some of the banks’ ATMs were dispensing N1,000 new naira notes, customers were, however, too many on them, with long queues too long for some others business men and women to endure.
New naira notes, to the tune of N50 million, have been reportedly sighted in a Jeep belonging to a politician in Kaduna State.
The newly-minted money, which were in N1,000 denominations, were sighted in the car along Muhammadu Buhari Way/Waff Road by Hamdala Hotel.
The owner of the vehicle who is a politician contesting for House Representatives (HoR), under the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, was alone inside the car when the money was sighted.
A reliable source close to the candidate of the ruling party, who sighted the money, told our correspondent that the money, neatly wrapped in its original form, was kept open at the back of the car.
According to the source, the HoR Candidate (name withheld) said the money was meant for his election as he has nobody to campaign for him.
The “money bag” politician, according to our source, who sighted the cash Saturday, said he paid N5.5 million to get the N50 million from an undisclosed bank.
Meanwhile, our correspondent, who went round Kaduna metropolis, reported that most of the bank managers visited denied knowledge of such transaction.
However, banks’ ATMs were filled with long queues of customers wanting to withdraw the new naira notes with – with lamentations.
Most of the customers complained of been in the bank premises since 8am, but could not get money till noon, while some got it very late as some ATM machines stopped dispensing.
In some cases, customers, who could no longer cope with ATM long queues, went to the bank counter to withdraw between N50 and, mostly N20 notes, as others resulted to “POS Boy” stations in bank premises, to withdraw new notes, but not without N300-N500 withdrawal charges, in order to save time.
Efforts to confirm where the POS Boy, who was later found inside the bank, draw his new notes for customers, was unsuccessful as the bank manager of one of the banks claimed ignorance of such development. The bank manager’s assistance, who however, pleaded to follow and spot the ‘POS Boy’ in the bank, was obliged by our journalist.
