"We Have Proof": Polaris Replies 'Legally Dead Customer' Trying to Get Back Access to His Bank Account

"We Have Proof": Polaris Replies 'Legally Dead Customer' Trying to Get Back Access to His Bank Account

  • Polaris Bank faces accusations from customer Olasele of falsely declaring him dead to gain access to his deposits
  • The customer, known as Avogroovy on Twitter, took to social media to make the allegations
  • Polaris Bank responded by stating that it received court documents supporting the claim of Anthony's death

Polaris Bank, a Nigerian commercial bank, has come under fire after one of its customers, Anthony Olasele, accused the bank of falsely declaring him dead to gain access to his deposits.

The customer, known on Twitter as Avogroovy, took to social media to make the allegations.

Polaris bank customer
Polaris Bank stated that a court document declared the customer dead. Photo credit: @polaris
Source: Facebook

Olasele revealed through a series of tweets that Polaris Bank had placed a Post No Debit (PND) restriction on his account, effectively freezing his access to funds.

He claimed that the bank had been frustrating his efforts to resolve the issue, citing various excuses.

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However, the situation escalated when Polaris Bank claimed to possess a court order declaring Anthony legally deceased.

According to Olasele, Polaris Bank failed to provide evidence when he challenged the bank's claim and requested to see the court papers.

The frustrated customer accused the bank of attempting to steal millions from his account and demanded transparency and proof of the alleged court order.

Olasele stated that he had regularly communicated with Polaris Bank since February 3rd, when he noticed his account had become inactive.

Despite his efforts to rectify the situation by contacting the bank and filling out the necessary forms, the issue remained unresolved.

Polaris Bank replies customer

In response to the accusations, Polaris Bank clarified that it did not declare the customer dead but had received court documents supporting the claim.

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The bank stated that it had a duty to respect such documents in order to protect the customer's deposit.

The court documents presented to the bank included a Bank Certificate, Statutory Affidavit of Next of Kin, and a death certificate issued by the National Population Commission.

Polaris Bank explained that the documents were submitted by Olasele Tina, who claimed to be the widow of the deceased customer, Anthony Olasele.

The bank flagged the account pending the issuance of Letters of Administration, a process that falls under the jurisdiction of the customer's family.

Polaris Bank assured that it worked closely with all stakeholders, including security agencies, to expedite the process and protect the customer's funds.

After confirming that Anthony Olasele was alive, the bank provided his lawyer with the necessary documents on May 16th, 2023.

Polaris Bank emphasized that once the process was satisfactorily completed, the Post No Debit restriction would be lifted, granting the customer access to his funds.

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Part of Polaris bank reply reads:

"Preliminary findings from internal investigation launched into the Customer’s claim of collusion to defraud him has so far revealed otherwise.
"We kindly advise the customer Mr. Anthony Olasele, family, friends and social media agents to allow the process to be completed."

CBN to close millions of bank accounts in Access, UBA, Zenith, and others

Meanwhile, in another report, Legit.ng revealed that CBN is planning to close bank accounts without BVN to clean up the sector and reduce fraud

BVN is a unique identifier capturing biometric data used to verify customer identities and prevent fraud

There are 24 commercial banks operating in Nigeria, including Access, UBA, Zenith, and other financial institutions that require BVN

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Dave Ibemere avatar

Dave Ibemere (Senior Business Editor) Dave Ibemere is a senior business editor at Legit.ng. He is a financial journalist with over a decade of experience in print and online media. He also holds a Master's degree from the University of Lagos. He is a member of the African Academy for Open-Source Investigation (AAOSI), the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and other media think tank groups. He previously worked with The Guardian, BusinessDay, and headed the business desk at Ripples Nigeria. Email: dave.ibemere@corp.legit.ng.