The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC has warned Nigerians to stop patronizing fraudsters under the cover of wonder banks that have re-emerged and duped people of billions of naira.
The Managing Director of NDIC, Umar Ibrahim gave the warning at the maiden edition of the NDIC Stakeholders Town Hall Meeting with the theme: ‘’Bank Consumer Protection the Role of NDIC’’ held at the Avenue Event Centre in Kano state.
Ibrahim decried the re-emergence of the wonder banks saying that “they are duping people of their hard earned money and promising returns that are not tenable in the financial services sector.’’
He urged people to stop being greedy and to patronize money deposit banks or micro-finance banks that are officially licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and insured by NDIC to carryout financial transactions for the people.
‘’How can someone ask you to deposit N100,000 with them and get N50, 000 per month or 30 per cent return every month from such deposit for the rest of your life and you believe it is possible. These people have no assets or nothing to fall back on when they collect your money and run away. Most people who patronize them do it out of greed’’ explained Ibrahim
He said the government is not relaxed over the development as a lot of them have been apprehended and are being prosecuted by Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, through the Investment and Securities Tribunal.
He said the series of arrests and prosecution have made many of them to go under, which by implication has reduced their operations and anks return to the North east
The NDIC boss further urged all Banks that ceased operations in the north-eastern Nigeria because of the Boko Haram attacks to henceforth resume operation in the urban and rural areas to enhance business.
The states affected in the north east includes, Borno,Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi, Adamawa and Taraba.
According to him, ‘’the north-east region of the country which was ravaged by the insurgence more than ever before, needed the services of the banking services sector to re-build.’’
He said activities in the region have return to almost normal now, after military clampdown on the insurgents as such the banks should resume operations in earnest to serve the government, organizations and people of the area.
‘’Without adequate banking facility, without access to finance, progress in that area will remain retarded. There is the need to provide financial services to our poor brothers and sisters in that area to start life afresh’’, stressed the Managing Director