Heritage Bank Plc has been badly hit by panic money withdrawals as it’s customers and stakeholders across the country have started moving their monies to more secured banks.
Heritage is said to be currently facing imminent collapse due to the huge financial frauds at the bank.
It was reliably gathered that the fortunes of the bank is already dwindling and nose diving as a result of stakeholders and depositors mistrust and loss of confidence in the handling of the financial institution’s affairs by its management.
The panic withdrawals mode at the bank has fueled speculations that the bank is moving down towards imminent collapse as natural death is staring it directly in the face.
Findings have also revealed that the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), has severally swooped on the staff of the bank apparently in respect of their failure to remit the Nigeria Port Authority (NPA), fund to the appropriate quarter.
With these developments, observers, some of whom are either stakeholders, depositors and other costumers have resorted to moving their money from the collapsing financial institution to the ones believed to be on secured ground for fear of losing their personal heritage to the Heritage Bank.
A stakeholder who pledged anonymity disclosed that the hand writing on the wall at the bank suggests imminent natural death adding that no wise man will have anything to do with the bank. “I have moved my money to where my mouth is outside the Heritage Bank.”
Another depositor, who also doesn’t want his name in print said what is alarming in the case of the bank is that the efforts of the EFCC at sanitising the financial institution by arresting the erring staff, who are the perpetrators of the evil deeds were been shielded by some vested interests within the bank, who go about securing bail for the suspected errant culprits through the back door.
The ugly developments which has pitched the management, stakeholders, depositors and the staff in a war of mistrust has started having its toll on the bank and thereby pushing it into a deep crash due to the widening gap.
A staff of the bank, who pleaded anonymity also disclosed that the reason for apprehension on the part of the stakeholders is not farfetched, explaining that, “panic enveloped the halls of Heritage Bank at the heel of a clampdown on the bank by the EFCC over alleged shady dealings by Mike Danneil, the Principal Officer of the bank’s FINCON arm.”
According to him, it was rumoured that the EFCC swooped on the bank after it discovered that Mike had failed to remit monies belonging to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) into the federation account, suspecting that the development has reportedly led to a bad debt situation and has driven the bank towards bankruptcy given its persistent failure to meet up with the financial obligations.
Investigation revealed that this not the first time Heritage Bank would be caught in the heat of financial storm and alleged ethical impropriety as it is on record that its former Managing Director (MD), Ifie Sekibo, got locked up years back alongside Kolapo Daisi and other staff, over alleged issues of financial impropriety. But they were reportedly let loose after receiving help from a serving member of House of Representatives, Hon Kabiru Tukura representing a Sokoto Constituency, who was appointed, Chairman, House Committee on Judiciary.
He was believed to have been sponsored to the Federal Legislative House by the bank MD.
Now that Heritage Bank is in the eye of the storm again, it is being rumoured in some quarters that the Federal Lawmaker has been contacted again to use his influence and contacts in the House of Representatives to ensure that Mike’s neck is saved from the hangman’s noose.
Meanwhile, findings have revealed that Mike, has been granted bail.
The bank’s major shareholders and depositors are believed to have started moving their money out of Heritage bank’s coffers in a panic move to avoid losing their fortunes in the event of the bank’s eventual collapse.
