Nnewi, Anambra, Nigeria – By Sonde Ojeikere
Confusion and sorrow filled the air in Nnewi, Anambra State recently, when a wonder Bank, Tabak Cooperative Credit and Thrift Bank, operated as a Micro Finance Bank closed down unannounced, allegedly making away with over N105million belonging to customers.
The Bank, said to have been established early last year by one Chief Oladipo Tunde Peter at No. 104, Old Onitsha Road, Nnewi had recently stopped operation with the staff leaving town without any forwarding addresses.
Sources said, on noticing this, that most of the customers earlier did not raise alarm, but rather tried to contact the management of the Bank through their phones to ascertain what was wrong but discovered that their lines were no longer reachable.
It was gathered that in order to endear itself to unsuspecting victims, made up of mostly traders, the management of the Bank had been offering its customers a liberal banking gesture of 25% interest rates on every deposit as well as interest fee loans.
A visit to the sealed office revealed many of the victims of the alleged fraud were seen weeping profusely bemoaning their faith.
Some of the victims said they have lost huge amounts of money, ranging from N1m to N20million, while others who are mostly petty traders stated that they lost their life savings to these alleged fraudsters.
As at press time, the divisional police officer of Central Police Station in Nnewi, DSP Ikechukwu Egbochukwu was not available to comment on the issue.
