By Baron Ike
It was not funny for the numerous bank customers desirous of utilising their ATMs to withdraw cash during the Christmas and New Year celebration at Ahiara Mbaise in Imo State.
All the banks with offices at the popular Ahiara Junction- First bank, UBA, Access bank, Keystone bank, Diamond Bank among others had ATM machines that either did not have enough cash or cash at all to service the army of clients within the locality.
The implication was that the policemen guarding the banks capitalised on the situation to extort money from desperate customers to assist them get money whenever an ATM machine was active.
The policemen collected between N300 and N400 from customers they assisted to withraw N200000 from their accounts.
During the period, each active bank ATM machine could have as many as 300 customers queuing on the line to collect cash and most of them could spend as much as between three and four hours before it got to their turn.
Consequently, few smart community leaders who were able to procure POS cashed on the situation to make brisk business with the people, charging as much as between N500 and N600 on every N20000 cash they gave to any one in desperate need of cash.
Those who patronized the owners of the POS and were charged outrageous commission said they were helpless and had no choice since the Banks’ ATM machines were a disappointment.