Amnesty Beneficiaries Flay Banks Over Frivolous Charges

BENEFICIARIES of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) in Ilaje and Ese-Odo Local Government Areas of Ondo State have decried the arbitrary deductions from their monthly stipend by commercial banks in the area, without genuine reasons.

One of the beneficiaries, Godspower Ebieboh, told The Guardian that the banks started the abnormal deductions since 2011, which varies from N1, 050 to N2, 100, from their monthly N65, 000 allowances. He lamented that all efforts to contact some of the banks did not yield any positive result.

Another beneficiary, who identified himself as Jerome, said their contemporaries in other states do not have such problems.  

They urged the new Amnesty Coordinator, Brig. Gen. Paul Boroh (rtd) and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, to intervene and redress the unpalatable situation.

Our Correspondent visited Ecobank Plc and United Bank for Africa (UBA) branches at Ore and Okitipupa, in Odigbo and Okitipupa local governments respectively, but attempts to speak with the bank managers proved abortive.

However, some bank officials, who pleaded anonymity, disclosed that the charges on accounts of amnesty beneficiaries are based on arrangement with the amnesty leaders with the bank management, in line with the CBN’s guidelines on allowances, which they said is negotiable.

They claimed that the PAP beneficiaries are special customers of the banks, whom they render outmost services for at the expense of other customers whenever their allowances are due for payment.

UBA, which has over 90 per cent of the beneficiaries in the mandate region, explained that all their branches across the states where the Niger Delta former militants were granted amnesty, deduct such charges on monthly basis.