THE police in Lagos State are on the trail of the employees of a microfinance bank in the Oyingbo area of the state who allegedly defrauded over 200 women of their savings.
Our correspondent learnt that there was confusion at the bank located on Atitebi Junction on the Old Apapa Road, Oyingbo, when the women got to the bank where they had opened accounts but discovered it was deserted.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the aggrieved women had been told by the bank to come last Monday to get loans after making three months’ savings, only to discover that the bank officials were nowhere to be found.
It was gathered that the bank, which used a three-room apartment in a storey building at the junction, started giving out forms around September to the victims, who were mostly market women.
Our correspondent learnt that while some of the women deposited N21, 000 hoping to be given loans of N150, 000, others paid in N15,000 to be lent N100, 000. Some others also deposited N7, 500 hoping to be lent N50, 000.
It was gathered that the women were given forms and account booklets where savings were ticked after each deposit.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the bubble, however, burst last Monday when some of the women who had been told penultimate Friday to come for their money, got to the bank at about 10am and met the rooms under lock and key.
They were said to have raised the alarm and started to call other women who were customers.
It was learnt that the wailing women caused a gridlock on the road, during which some of them put calls through to the phone numbers on the form, but the lines were reportedly switched off.
Policemen from the Iponri division were said to have arrived to pacify the women and enjoined them to make a formal report for investigation.
When our correspondent got to the scene at about 12pm, one of the women, who gave her name as Yakubu Rukayat, said she had deposited N15, 000, and brought her sister to contribute N21, 000 hoping to get the loans.
She said, “Over 200 of us were affected. We were shocked to meet their doors locked on a Monday. The rooms are empty. The door is locked. Look at the form I filled and the passbook they gave me. I deposited N15, 000, and I also brought my sister to pay in N21, 000.
“Most of us are market women from Oyingbo, Makoko and Ebute Meta. On Friday, I still came to the bank and people were depositing the money. I noticed that one of the officials – a lady – asked people to hurry so that they could take their forms for processing. We did not know it was a scam. How will I get all my money back?”
Another victim, identified only as Iyaniwura, said she had hoped to use the loan to pay her house rent, and to expand her business. She claimed to have deposited N21, 000 too.
When PUNCH Metro tried calling the phone numbers, they seemed to be switched off as of press time.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Joe Offor, confirmed that the market women had reported the matter to the police.
He added that the police had invited the landlord of the property for questioning and efforts were on to get the runaway officials of the microfinance bank.
He said, “The Divisional Police Officer led policemen to the scene and appealed to the women not to cause violence. The police have invited the landlord who gave the place to the so-called microfinance bank for questioning. We are working on getting the bank officials.”
