Society Gists

Two weeks after the Lagos Neighbourhood Security Corps (LNSC) paid November salaries to its personnel, its newly recruited officers with Polaris Bank accounts still cannot access their money.

Our source learnt that these new community security agents’ appointments became effective on October 2 but they had been made to open salary accounts with Polaris Bank in August.

Subsequently, the bank created their accounts and sent them their primary account numbers.

On November 26, these officers received a credit alert, indicating that their first salary had been paid. But attempts to access this money have only resulted in no progress.

“Majority of us are unable to access our Polaris Bank account opened for us in August. After our salary was paid, we could not withdraw the money. On my own, I have visited two of the bank’s branches where I provided further Know Your Customer (KYC) documents they asked from me. Like my colleagues, I haven’t gained access to my account and my money is still sitting in the bank,” an affected officer, who asked not to be named, told our source on Wednesday.

As a family man, the inability to access his money, which is over N100,000, has left him and his children in distress.

“This issue is causing a lot of frustration for us all. I am particularly distressed because this is the only money my family relies on to feed. The failure of the bank to make it accessible to me has led me to be borrowing money from friends and relatives,” he said.

“When I visited a branch of the bank around Ikorodu, they told me that the marketers who opened the accounts for us were from their Igbosere branch and that I should go there. Going to Igbosere did not resolve the issue. They only told me they would work on it.”

At the bank’s branch in Igbosere, the bank officials asked him to look for his account opening package among a stack of customer packages. After a thorough search, he saw it and he was then attended to. He was then told that his complaint would be resolved within 24 hours and the money would become withdrawable.

“I have visited the place about five times. When I got to Igbosere on Friday, I was told to search for my account opening form. I did that and found it,” he said. “I took it to a female customer care officer and she verified my address. She told me to take it to a front desk officer for further documentation. I submitted copies of my employment letter, national identity card (NIN), electricity bill and I also generated an electronic NIN. “I was told the account will be okay in 24 hours. They haven’t done anything since then. Till now my money is in my account, I can see it but I cannot withdraw it. I cannot perform any transaction. When I log into their mobile app, it tells me ‘Debitable account not found’. If I call them on the phone, they would tell me to remain patient.”

Out source was unable to get comments from the bank as calls to two of its customer care lines were not connecting at press time.

Source; FIJ