LAGOS — A Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) customer, Ariyo Ahmed Adewale, has accused the financial institution of orchestrating his arrest after he protested the unexplained disappearance of approximately N4.1 million from his account. Ariyo alleges that the unauthorised transactions, which he discovered on Saturday, involved purchases on the online shopping platform Jumia, a platform he insists he has never used.
Ariyo recounted his ordeal, stating, “I discovered that N2,000,000 had been debited from my GTBank account without my authorisation. I immediately contacted GTBank customer care to report the incident and request that my account be blocked. However, the unauthorised transactions continued, eventually totaling about N4.1 million.”
According to Ariyo, GTBank attributed the debits to transactions made using his debit card on Jumia. However, he vehemently denies any involvement, asserting, “I have never used Jumia in my life. I did not authorise any purchases or payments, and my card remained in my possession. My phone was also with me, and no one else had access to it.”
Seeking clarification, Ariyo visited the GTBank branch in the Kosofe area of Lagos, requesting a detailed account statement. His attempts to obtain this information were met with resistance. “I asked the bank staff to provide a statement showing all transactions before and during the incident. When I expressed my frustration, the branch manager called the police from the Alapere Police Station,” he explained.
Officers from the Alapere Police Station instructed Ariyo to file a formal complaint and advised him to have his lawyer submit a petition regarding the transactions. Ariyo expressed shock at the bank’s alleged inability to trace the specific transaction details. “When I requested a screenshot or statement showing the exact transactions, I was told the bank could not trace the specific action details and therefore could not provide a record of the suspicious debits,” he stated.
Ariyo voiced his concerns about the bank’s security measures, stating, “The reason I protested was simple: N4 million disappeared from my account without my authorisation, and the bank cannot provide a proper explanation. How are customers supposed to feel safe?”
He is now demanding a thorough investigation and a full refund of the lost funds, threatening legal action if the matter is not resolved promptly.
