Richard Ginika Izuora
Flexcel Enterprises Limited, has through its legal representative OKC Chambers petitioned the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, alleging illegal debit of its account domiciled at Parallex Micro-finance Bank.
In the petition dated Tuesday, 14 January 2020, and addressed to the Governor of the bank, by OKC Chambers and signed by Oluwole Kehinde, said the Bank has carried out illegal debit transactions on tge clients account valued at N3, 150, 000 (Three Million, One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira Only).
According to the law firm, “Our client informs us that sometime in June 2016, one Deacon Armstrong Oyakhilome from Benin, Edo State, contracted our client through its managing director, Mr. Olayiwola Eke, to do a cleaning service at Sapele Jetty for Prime Feed and Flour Mill, of which the said Deacon Oyakhilome is the managing director, for an agreed sum of N3, 369, 600.00 (Three Million, Three Hundred and Sixty-Nine Thousand and Six Hundred Naira Only).
The petition further informed that, “Thereafter, the said Deacon Armstrong Oyakhlome directed our client to open an account with Parallex Micro-Finance Bank Ltd., to enable his company transfer the said sum into the account, which our client did and the account was opened on 7th June 2016.”
Continuing the petition stated, “After the account was opened, our client, which had commenced the work, was confident that his account would be credited wih funds shortly thereafter. Deacon Oyakhilome however informed our client to give him the company’s letterhead before the account would be credited.
” He said another contract was coming and that the letterhead would make it easy for him to quickly get the necessary approval. Our client believed Deacon Oyakhilome and released its letterhead to him.
“After our client’s letterhead was released to Deacon Oyakhilome, the contract sum was paid into our client’s account with the above-named Bank at about 11:00 AM on 9th June 2016.
“Our client was however shocked, when shortly thereafter at about 5:30 PM same day, it received a debit alert for the transfer of the sum of N1, 350,000 (One Million Three Hundred and FIfty Thousand Naira Only) to another company’s account. When our client’s managing director confronted the relevant officee of the Bank, he was informed that the transfer was made at the instance of Deacon Armstrong as against our client’s mandate and instruction.”
Subsequently, on 10th June 2016, our client requested for a fund to enable it to pay its workers, but was shocked to be informed by the Bank’s Head of Operation that it could not make any withdrawal from the account until its documents were verified by the Bank’s Head Office.”
Kehinde in the petition, expressed concerns as to how the initial transfer was made by the Bank when the verification was still pending. He said, “When our client confronted Deacon Armstrong, he confirmed the same thing to our client but promised that the sum debited would be transferred back to the account at a later date, which he failed to do.
“Surprisingly, while our client was still waiting for the alleged verification from the Head Office, it got another debit alert on 14th June 2016 on the same account in the sum of N1, 800,000 (One Million Eight Hundred Thousand Naira Only). It is pertinent to add that while all the aforementioned transactions were on, our client had not been issued a cheque book and wondered why and how the officers of the Bank were busily debiting money from the account without our client’s instruction.”
He stated that when his client again confronted Deacon Armstrong, he pleaded with him, promising to pay cash into the account, adding, “After repeated appeals by our client, Deacon Armstrong issued a cheque in the sum of N250,000 (Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira Only), but when our client presented same for payment it was dishomoured.”
He said since then, Deacon Armstrong has refused to pay his client, and the Bank has failed to credit his client’s account for the debited sum, despite several demands for the same by our client.
“Consequently, our client has instructed our firm to petition your Organisation as the regulatory authority in the banking sector to:
Investigate the unwholesome, fraudulent, and unethical actions of the Parallex Micro-Finance Bank Ltd. perpetrated against our client; Direct the Bank to forthwith credit our client’s account with the total sum of N3, 150, 000 (Three Million, One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira Only) debited from the account without the instruction of our client;
Take necessary disciplinary and punitive actions against the Bank for the unwholesome, fraudulent, and unethical actions perpetrated against our client.”