It was a shock to the Inspector-General of Police
(IGP), Mohammed D. Abubakar, as Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of banks
yesterday abstained from a meeting convened by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
Present at the meeting of the over 40 top financial institutions in the country were the CEOs of the rescued Enterprise Bank, Wema Bank and Zenith Bank.
The meeting was a follow-up to an earlier meeting between the Police Management Team and the banks' Chief Security Officers.
Also present at the meeting were top representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) like the Director of Banking Supervision, Mrs. Tokumbo Martins, and Director of Security of the apex bank as well as a top director in the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).
However, there was no reasonable excuse offered by the other bank CEOs who absented themselves from the meeting.
Attempts by previous IGPs to seek solutions to the malaise have met brick wall with the “Nigerian factor” playing prominent roles in frustrating such attempts.
However, declaring the meeting open, the IGP, who hid his disaffection over the non-attendance of the CEOs, informed that the meeting was a follow-up to the previous one aimed at finding lasting solutions to the level of fraud noticed in the banking sector.
He said: “Banking is key to our economy. However, there have been some security challenges we are facing and I feel there is the need to critically look into this with bank CEOs so that we can review the decisions we had reached on with the CSOs; so that we can say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to what we had come up with.
“We need concerted and collaborative efforts at stamping out this malaise. The banks are concerned and that is why we have top officials of the CBN and NDIC at this meeting. This
However, Police sources informed our correspondent that “following poor attendance of key bank CEOs, the IGP decided not to let his anger before the media. That is why he quickly asked the press to excuse the meeting so they could go to the detailed discussion to enable him say his mind.
“He actually did tell them his level of disappointment and had threatened that henceforth, where a police officer is killed in any bank, the affected bank would be made to bear the full burden of the burial rites and other welfare package to the family of such officer.
“He also told them that he was not satisfied that most banks did not take the issue of purchase of bullet proof bullion vans in the quantity required for the movement of species, stressing that these had made policemen vulnerable to attacks by hoodlums.
“Also, the issue of installation of other security gadgets like fully-functional and integrated CCTV and other security shows that we are serious”. alerts that can give early signals to danger in bank branches and the need to thoroughly screen bank staff to ascertain their comprehensive bio-data and biometrics.
“The IG also told them that he would be liaising with appropriate regulatory agencies to strengthen the CBN and NDIC Act in the on-going constitution review so as to make key chief executive of banks vicariously liable for financial crimes”.
Present at the meeting of the over 40 top financial institutions in the country were the CEOs of the rescued Enterprise Bank, Wema Bank and Zenith Bank.
The meeting was a follow-up to an earlier meeting between the Police Management Team and the banks' Chief Security Officers.
Also present at the meeting were top representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) like the Director of Banking Supervision, Mrs. Tokumbo Martins, and Director of Security of the apex bank as well as a top director in the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).
However, there was no reasonable excuse offered by the other bank CEOs who absented themselves from the meeting.
Attempts by previous IGPs to seek solutions to the malaise have met brick wall with the “Nigerian factor” playing prominent roles in frustrating such attempts.
However, declaring the meeting open, the IGP, who hid his disaffection over the non-attendance of the CEOs, informed that the meeting was a follow-up to the previous one aimed at finding lasting solutions to the level of fraud noticed in the banking sector.
He said: “Banking is key to our economy. However, there have been some security challenges we are facing and I feel there is the need to critically look into this with bank CEOs so that we can review the decisions we had reached on with the CSOs; so that we can say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to what we had come up with.
“We need concerted and collaborative efforts at stamping out this malaise. The banks are concerned and that is why we have top officials of the CBN and NDIC at this meeting. This
However, Police sources informed our correspondent that “following poor attendance of key bank CEOs, the IGP decided not to let his anger before the media. That is why he quickly asked the press to excuse the meeting so they could go to the detailed discussion to enable him say his mind.
“He actually did tell them his level of disappointment and had threatened that henceforth, where a police officer is killed in any bank, the affected bank would be made to bear the full burden of the burial rites and other welfare package to the family of such officer.
“He also told them that he was not satisfied that most banks did not take the issue of purchase of bullet proof bullion vans in the quantity required for the movement of species, stressing that these had made policemen vulnerable to attacks by hoodlums.
“Also, the issue of installation of other security gadgets like fully-functional and integrated CCTV and other security shows that we are serious”. alerts that can give early signals to danger in bank branches and the need to thoroughly screen bank staff to ascertain their comprehensive bio-data and biometrics.
“The IG also told them that he would be liaising with appropriate regulatory agencies to strengthen the CBN and NDIC Act in the on-going constitution review so as to make key chief executive of banks vicariously liable for financial crimes”.
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