Slavery, intimidation and Corruption in Fidelity Bank

NNAMDI OKONKWO, GMD FIDELITY BANK PLC

My nature as a socio-political crusader does not allow me to keep quiet when things are going wrong in my environment, especially when innocent members of the society are unduly being punished; perhaps because they have nobody to speak for them.

Few days ago, I gave a hint on my facebook wall that I would be exposing the dirty deals of a new generation bank and the excesses of the Department of State Security (DSS), who has today become a tool in the hands of some so called highly placed Nigerians to dehumanize and torture innocent Citizens of this country.
The despicable activities of Operatives of the Department of State Security(DSS) has therefore made me to conclude that the Security outfit is a criminal organization used by highly placed people in this country to intimidate any member/members of the public who is/are perceived as an obstacle to their inglorious quest for questionable wealth, position and power.



THE SYNOPSIS OF THE MATTER:
Sometime in January 2016, Fidelity Bank Plc. placed three staff of the Bank on suspension without pay for a period of six (6) months, and they were still directed to be coming to work to render services to the Bank. Shockingly and surprisingly, the suspension became prolonged and lasted till December 2017. This means these staff were made to work without pay for a period of twenty-three (23) months, which in unheard of in any corporate establishment in any part of the world and is tantamount to modern day slavery.
However, due to their excruciating and biting pains and sufferings in the hands of Fidelity Bank, these Staff in August 2017 (20 months in suspension) approached an International and United Nations Affiliated Human Rights Organization, called World Humanity Commission (WHC) to help them out of their predicament. The Organization relying on the Freedom of Information Act, wrote a letter on the 21/08/2017 requesting Fidelity Bank for information on the affected Staff and other teething matters in the Bank. The Bank acknowledged receipt of the letter but failed to respond to the issues raised therein. The Organization also wrote a reminder on then 27/09/17 to the bank, and simultaneously, an online news tabloid published the story. This time around, the Bank quickly reinstated the staff but seized the 23 months arrears of their salaries and emoluments. The attitude of the Bank prompted the United Nations affiliated Human Rights Organization to write a third letter on the 05/02/18 urging Fidelity Bank to do the needful and release the seized arrears of salaries and emoluments of the re-instated staff.
The Bank complied and released the funds, which was the arrears of salaries and emoluments..
However, sometime towards the end of February 2018, in what appears to be a vendetta by the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo, one of the affected staff that worked at the Aba (Abia State) Branch, known as Mr. Emeka was suddenly terminated from the job without any reason. The following week being Friday March 2, 2018 precisely, the other affected staff Mr. Ugochukwu Michael Nwankwere that works at the Douglas Road Owerri Branch of the Bank was abducted by Officers of the Department of State Security (DSS), at the instance of the GMD/CEO, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo, based on trumped up (spurious) charges of “threat” to his life. What is so appalling in this matter is the fact that the DSS did not follow due process in the arrest of this staff by at least formally writing the Bank to release the affected staff. Rather, the GMD/CEO directed the Douglas Road Branch Manager of the Bank, one Mr. Nnamdi Anyakoha to lure the staff to the Owerri Office of the DSS, where he was arrested on that fateful day. Also, on Thursday March 8, 2018, the DSS arrested in Aba Mr. Emeka, the sacked Aba branch Staff of the Bank.
Let me at this point state clearly that the matter in question is not within the jurisdiction of the DSS, as “threat” to the life of the GMD/CEO does not bother on matters of National Security, which is within the jurisdiction of the DSS. In this case, it appears that a highly revered law Enforcement Agency like the DSS is being used by GMD/CEO to do a hatchet/mercenary job. This is most unfortunate for our country. These staff have remained in DSS custody since the 2nd and 8th of March 2018 respectively till date. The DSS has consistently abused their fundamental Human Rights by denying them contact with their lawyers and access to members of their families. Therefore, the said arrest and continued illegal detention of these staff by the DSS is unlawful and a complete gross violation of their fundamental Human rights.
The above narrative is the synopsis (summary) of the trials, travails, slavery and indeed persecution of Mr. Ugochukwu Michael Nwankwere and Mr. Emeka in the hands of Fidelity Bank Plc and the compromised DSS.
Nevertheless, OJIMADUEKWU SOLICITORS, counsel to one of the detained bank Staff had made several efforts, to see Mr. Ugochukwu Michael Nwankwere (their client) at the DSS office to no avail.
This prompted them to write a letter to the Branch Manager (Mr. Nnamdi Anyakoha) of Fidelity Bank Plc. (Douglas Road Branch, Owerri – Imo State) on the 13th of March 2018, demanding for the immediate production of Mr. Ugochukwu Michael Nwankere. The Legal Firm which wrote under the caption, ABUSE OF OFFICE, EXTORTION, KIDNAP AND POSSIBLE MURDER OF MR. UGOCHUKWU NWANKWERE stated “we were reliably informed that your antagonism for our client stemmed from the fact that you felt threatened that he may take your position as manager, especially as you had perform badly since the last few years, with your Branch unable to post profit. As a result, you devised several methods of intimidating, harassing and attacking our client in Order to Cow and force him to resign from his job”.
OJIMADUEKWU SOLICITORS continued, “We were reliably informed that when our client was reinstated and paid arrears of his salaries and emoluments after going on suspension without pay, you lured him to follow you for “marketing” to an undisclosed location and returned after several hours without him”. Unquote. This letter whichwas copied to the following (1) Chief Judge of Imo State (2) Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 9, Umuahia – Abia State (3) Imo State Commissioner of Police (4) Director, Department of State Security (DSS)Imo State (5) GMD/CEO, Fidelity Bank Plc. was signed by the Principal Counsel of OJIMADUEKWU SOLICITORS, O. O. Ajoku Esq. Obviously, Fidelity Bank Plc. has been in disarray since the receipt of the said letter, because it knows that the bubble would burst on the true activities going on in the bank. While the legal firm has the capacity to tackle the bank, let me inform the global audience that Fidelity Bank Plc. and its top management are reportedly involved in so many fraudulent activities that decisive actions should be taken against it.
There are evidences of massive corruption and administrative malfeasance going on in the bank, which will definitely attract the Central Bank of Nigeria’s sanction on the Bank through the dissolution of the present Board of Directors and Management.
Consequently, the following should be noted.
(1) The Central Bank of Nigeria should investigate the process for which the sum of over 7 billion naira was frittered away as a purported loan granted to spurious companies of which it is alleged that the Group Managing Director Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo has substantial links. This huge loss is jeopardizing shareholders investments, and as such should be investigated thoroughly by Anti-graft agencies.
(2) Investigation into why there is delay in the payment of staff benefits such as Gratuities and Pensions.
(3) Review of cases of staff sacked wrongfully, their reinstatement, payment of salary arrears and promotion to the next officer level as compensation. For instance, the case of Mr. Onwumere Ikechi David, an Executive Trainee (ET) who was wrongfully sacked on the 20th of June 2017 for processing a Distributor Finance Loan for a Customer has not been treated. But Mr. Nnamdi Anyakoha, the Douglas Road Owerri Branch Manager who ordered him to book the said loan, has not been disciplined despite his clear breach of the Bank’s Rules and Regulations.
With proven record of evidence, the Branch Manager of Fidelity Bank Plc. in Owerri, Mr. Nnamdi Anyakoha has been committing serious offences without being sanctioned at all. For example, Mr. Nnamdi Anyakoha is notoriously known to collect bribes from customers before approving loans for them.
(A) He collected the sum of Five Hundred Thousand naira (N500,000)from a customer, NICO Investment Ltd. before he approved his loan.
The said customer (NICO Investment Ltd) has refused to pay down the loan unless Mr. Nnamdi Anyakoha refunds the bribe.
(B) Mr. Nnamdi Anyakoha collected one Hundred and Thirty thousand naira (N130,000) bribe from another customer, E. C. Amaechi Enterprises.
(C) When the then Account Officer, Miss Vivian Madubuko, moved to Heritage Bank Plc and requested her former Bank to Reference her, Mr. Nnamdi Anyakoha wrote against it. This prompted the lady to report to the Regional Human Resources Department of the Fidelity Bank Plc., then headed by one Mr. Ekene Uwakwe and narrated the bribe story scandal involving the said Mr. Nnamdi Anyakoha. When Mr. Ekene contacted and confronted Mr. Anyakoha with the bribe story, he quickly withdrew his earlier letter and Miss Vivian Madubuko was issued her reference letter. Miss Vivian Madubuko could be reached on +2348034997002 for further confirmation.
(D) Again, Mr. Nnamdi Anyakoha collected another bribe of Five Hundred thousand naira (N500,000) from another Bank customer, E. O. Ekeson Global Services and that is why the customer has refused to pay down his loan from the Bank. The account officer, Mr. Emeka Aguwa is also aware of this.
(E) Another customer, SEROLAK CONCEPTS had to part with the sum of N300,000 = (Three Hundred Thousand naira) to the same Mr. Nnamdi Anyakoha before getting his loan. He too has vehemently refused to pay down the loan for the same reasons.
(F) Mr. Nnamdi Anyakoha gave a loan of N2,000,000 = at 20% interest to one Mrs. Ugboaku Alaribe (Ugboaku V. Alaribe Ltd) of which the customer gave him a cheque to that effect. This can be confirmed from the customer.
(G) Mr. Nnamdi Anyakoha also collected a very huge sum of money (running in million of naira) from the popular A. O. Emmaco Ltd. (in Owerri) before he approved his loan. This can be confirmed from the Managing Director of the Company.

All these gross misconductshave been going on without the Bank sanctioning Mr. Nnamdi Anyakoha. It is believed that Mr. Anyakoha is one of the Sacred Cows of the Bank as his Aunt; Barrister Aku P. Odinkemelu is the Executive Director in charge of the South Region where he works. This is the main reason why surprisingly, Mr. Anyakoha could retain his job despite the fact that his Douglas Road Owerri branch had been posting losses for over five (5) consecutive years, whereas some other Branch Managers and Account Officers who could not meet their target within the same period were summarily dismissed. Indeed, Nepotism has eaten up Fidelity Bank Plc, which is an intrinsic part of corruption which must/should not be found in a sensitive business Organization, such as a Bank.
It should be noted that while Mr. Nnamdi Anyakoha is enjoying Administrative immunity after committing very grievous and heinous offences another Ex-Staff, Mr. Nweze Agwu Igwe, a Senior Banking Executive (2) Who had served the Bank meritoriously for over 13 (Thirteen) years was wrongfully terminated from employment merely, because he was alleged to have collected a paltry sum of one thousand five hundred naira (1,500) only for an assignment he was scheduled to do, but was prevented from doing it because he had to rush his sick child to hospital. And despite the valid medical report he tendered to prove his claim, Fidelity Bank terminated his job.
It is very unfortunate and indeed shocking to note that the Board of Directors of Fidelity Bank Plc re-appointed Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwob as the Group Managing Director for another term under whose watch all the above listed atrocities, injustices, and corruption occurred.This clearly goes to show the mindset of the Board of Directors. Let me therefore use this opportunity to call on the Presidency, the National Assembly, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), various Civil Society Organizations, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the Media and indeed the reading public to join in this worthy crusade to expose Fidelity Bank Plc. for what it is;a very corrupt Organization.
The Central Bank of Nigeria should dispassionately investigate all these allegations against Fidelity Back Plc. and ensure that Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo’s reappointment as the GMD/CEO is not confirmed. Even at that, honestly, Fidelity Bank Plc. is no longer worthy to remain as a bank, and as such, Bank Customers should be encouraged to withdraw their deposits.

From the above information, it is crystal clear why the Department of State Security (DSS) has shamelessly made itself available to be used as a witch-hunting tool box to attack, dehumanize, violate the Rights, intimidate and harass innocent staff of Fidelity Bank Plc. It is indeed a shame that the DSS has abandoned its primary function of matters that bother on National Security, only to dabble into internal crisis of a dis-oriented Bank for pecuniary benefits. The DSS has continued to detain innocent staff of Fidelity Bank Plc., thereby violating their Fundamental Human Rights; all in the naked bid to protect very corrupt and high profile Bank Officials who are neck deep involved in fraudulent practices.
Enough of these Excesses of the DSS.
The reading Public will surely hear my voice again on this very matter. I am loading.
I rest my pen, for now.

Signed
Hon. Citizen Dr. Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha FCAI, MKDA
Former Senior Special Assistant on Media
Immediate Past Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties
Imo State House of Assembly
Tel – 07032934037
29TH March, 2018.