Naira Notes Crisis: Nigerians Block Bank Entrance In Oyo State For Closing Before Usual Time

In what will across as a really startling development, some angry bank customers on Thursday protested in Oyo State.

The customers on Thursday afternoon blocked the entrance of Guaranty Trust Bank, University of Ibadan Branch, Oyo State for claiming to have closed before 4pm, the usual closing time, without prior notice.

SaharaReporters gathered that the irate customers decided not to leave the Bank premises unless the bank’s manager gave them the needed explanation, leaving other customers and officials who were already inside the bank stranded.

The ugly situation may not be unconnected to the hardship many Nigerians have been facing due to the Naira Swap Policy implemented by the Muhammadu Buhari government.

“A number of customers have blocked the entrance of the Bank as they got to the Bank at 2:00pm and the Security at the entrance denied them entry that the Bank had closed without any official notification,” a source privy to the situation told SaharaReporters.

He continued: “The customers blocked the entrance to the banking hall requesting an address by the manager. The customers in the Bank have been stuck for about an hour without being able to get across.

“This is an example of rising civic action against the indiscriminate inconsiderate actions by the bank management.”

SaharaReporters had also reported there were mixed reactions from traders, business owners and customers over the commercial banks’ acceptance of deposits in old N500 and N1,000 old notes.

This came days after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in a statement on Monday directed commercial banks to issue and to accept the old Naira notes from Nigerians.

SaharaReporters had on Tuesday found out that commercial banks in Awka, Anambra State capital issued the old N500 and N1,000 notes to customers but only accepted deposits of same from customers who generated CBN code from cyber cafe.

When SaharaReporters visited Access Bank branch located along Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, a staff of the bank in its bulk room had said that though they accept deposits of the old Naira notes, the depositor must personally generate CBN code from the cyber cafe.