Truth is a casualty in the business parlances of Nigerian banks. At First Bank, it is basically non-existent. At First Bank, truth assumes various definitions as warranted by circumstances and the directors’ capacity for arrant infamy and greed.
Thus you could be forgiven for thinking that First Bank speaks certain truth in order to conceal the real truth.
According to SaharaReporters, the Intelligence Department of the Nigerian Police Force, Zone 10, in Abuja has revealed through its investigation that the First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) principal officers, Kunle Awojobi, Managing Director of FBN trustee, and others forged the signature of Ola Olaniran, Operational Director of Zone 4 Energy Limited, on some documents used to obtain an order to take over the farm tank of Zone 4 Energy Limited over an alleged non-payment of a loan.
FBN had approached the court in July through its receiver, Emmanuel Oyebanji, to obtain a court order to take over the Zone 4 Energy tank farm located in the Calabar Free Trade Zone and to freeze the account of the company. Justice Saliu Sahidu of Federal High Coourt in Ikoyi granted the order.
The affected company filed a motion to discharge the order through its lawyer Lanre Ogunlesi, alleging that the order was obtained in error and that the day of execution of the order had elapsed. Mr. Ogunlesi argued that his client never received notice of this action.
Justice Abdul Aziz Anka of the same court ruled against the order when he ordered that some of the assets claimed by First Bank Plc. be relinquished to Chukelad Nigeria Limited, a third party in trade with Zone 4 Energy. 2,804,735 liters of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and 1,927,727 liters of Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK) were to be evacuated from the tank farm belonging Zone 4 Energy Limited. He adjourned ruling until September 8, 2016.
The Nigerian Police Force’s Criminal Investigation Department has now revealed that the tank farm was received with fictitious documents.
In addition, on August 26, 2016, two First Bank employees, Ayodele Ogunlana and Razak Yussuf, were arrested by the police at the premises of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Okotiebo and were subsequently taken to the police for questioning. They were later asked to sign an undertaking stating that they would appear at the Zone A police station in Abuja the following day.
It was reliably gathered that they will be charged to court soon.
