Hundreds of protesters on Wednesday besieged the corporate headquarters of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in Abuja to demonstrate against “banks’ fraudulent practices and customers’ victimisation”.
The protesters, under the aegis of a coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs), submitted a petition addressed to Olayemi Cardoso, the governor of CBN.
Led by Flora Elekwa, director of mobilisation and advocacy of the CSO, the protesters displayed placards with inscriptions like “conspiracy”, “forgery”, “criminal breach of trust”, “taking a loan is not a crime”, “stop suffocating your customers”, and “make loan repayment transparent”, among others.
“These charges amount to a loss of millions of naira by bank customers, to the effect that banks declare trillions yearly as profit at the detriment of the customers who lacked the voice to complain,” she said.
“Even the regulatory agencies seem to be helpless in this situation.
“The street protest and advocacy march are aimed at drawing the attention of the government, regulatory authorities, and the general public to these unwholesome, illegal practices with a view to rectifying the situation.”
Addressing the protesters, Hakama Sidi-Ali, the CBN acting director of corporate communications, said their grievances would be addressed.