UNPROFESSIONAL: How Access Bank Made Customer Suffer Emotional Torture, Economic Loss

A customer of Access Bank PLC, Dr. Olanrewaju Olasehinde is accusing the financial institution of defaming and causing him inestimable damages.

Per Fasina and Omotayo law firm, Dr. Olasehinde’s legal backers, the top medical practitioner was embarrassed, ridiculed, and made to suffer emotional torture. A letter, exclusively seen by AllNews, has been dispatched (on 30 August, 2021) to Herbert Wigwe, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Access Bank in respect of the matter.

What happened?

On 26 August 2020, Dr. Olasehinde encountered a failed Automated Teller Machine (ATM) transaction using his Access Bank ATM Visa Card at a Stanbic IBTC Bank PLC ATM in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State. He waited for two weeks (in vain), expecting the bank to revert the failed transaction sum of N5, 000. He then proceeded to report at Access Bank branch on Secretariat Road, Ado-Ekiti in September 2020. Thereafter, he was advised to wait for three working days.

However, Access Bank failed to revert the money, instead alleging Dr. Olasehinde collected the money from the ATM, an allegation the doctor feels is a stain on his personality.

Dr. Olasehinde was reportedly subjected to embarrassment in the presence of other customers in the banking hall on one of the days he visited the bank to lodge his complaint. A staff of Access Bank who attended to him then asked him to request for Closed-circuit Television (CCTV) footage – which he did.

Upon receipt of the CCTV footage by Access Bank from Stanbic IBTC, Access finally acknowledged the transaction truly failed on the said date.

But to date, the very busy medical doctor has been “made to lose over 50 manpower-hours” due to constant visit to the bank, yet his money is not refunded. No apology from Access Bank either, for ridiculing Dr. Olasehinde. Consequently, the doctor’s lawyers are demanding N25, 000, 000 from Access Bank “for defamation, economic loss, emotional torture, and general damages suffered by Dr. Olasehinde since 16 August 2020”.