Bank customers fight, sleep at ATMs to withdraw new naira notes in Anambra (Photo)

It was dramatic and unconventional scenes yesterday as some bank customers fought dirty while many others slept on the pavement while queuing to withdraw the new naira notes at different ATMs across Awka, the capital city of Anambra State.

Recall that the Central Bank of Nigeria had given the last day of January this year as the expiration date of old ₦200, ₦500, and ₦1000 naira notes, as the trio will no longer be accepted as legal tenders after the date. The apex Bank has also, since 2022, been urging Nigerians to deposit their old notes in the bank and withdraw the new naira notes, to avoid being caught up with the deadline.

Many people, however, were complacent to heed to the CBN directive, until this weekend when many of them now began to flood and cluster around the banks to deposit their old notes and withdraw the new ones. Although, part of the reasons for this eleventh hour rush was also attributed to the scarcity and unavailability of the new naira notes in the banks and other places one can make withdrawals.

Amid this scarcity of the new notes, people also foresaw that this weekend may be their only chance to deposit their old naira notes to the banks, and that there may be more intense rush on Monday and Tuesday if the banks actually open. With this assumption, coupled with grapevines that some ATMs have begun to dispense the new notes, there became great rush, mammoth crowd and long queues at the various banks and ATMs, both those who came to withdraw the new notes and those who came to deposit their old notes.

The over-flooding of banks and the ATM stands and the consequent struggle for lines and turns (as is usual at the bank), led to a series of fracas and melees by the visibly frustrated customers, most of whom had been on the queue since as early as 7.30am till about 1.40 when this reporter visited the various banks and ATM stands around the Awka metropolis.

At the Sterling Bank’s at the Eke Awka market, a long queue of about 47 persons were seen, already standing on the queues, waiting for their turns at the two ATM spots at the bank, which are dispensing the new notes. Another long queue that stretches almost to the main road was also seen, which belonged to people who wanted to go into the banking hall.

Shortly after, a fight ensued between two beautifully dressed ladies at one of the ATM stands, over whose turn it was to withdraw. The fight was, however, separated by a huge grey-haired man, which, before he finished, another young man, from nowhere, sneaked to the machine and withdrew some cash, amid vituperation and resentment oozing from other waiters on the queue.

As the situation was dousing, another brouhaha ensued at the other side of the ATM, where a man refused to come out of the ATM or allow another person use the machine, even when his several attempts to withdraw proved abortive, as each of his transactions ended up showing “Issuer Inoperative, Contact Your Service Provider”, which made others to start pressurising and coercing him to come out and allow another person to try. But he repudiated to come out after about 8 minutes of several failed transactions, which made others to invade the ATM stand to pull him out, leading to an uproar. Meanwhile, he insisted it was his turn, and that he should be allowed to use it anyhow he wanted.

Similar situations were also observed at the First Bank ATM, the Access Bank ATM, close to the Regina Caeli Junction; and the Stanbic Bank at the popular UNIZIK Temp. Site, Awka.

The situation was slightly different at the UBA ATM at the Aroma Junction, where many customers were seen, sleeping on bare pavement, while tiredly and patiently waiting for the new notes to be loaded in the machine again as the machine had run out of cash.

All efforts made by this reporter to have the comments and reactions of some officials of the visited banks proved abortive as those accosted declined to grant interview to him.

Quadri Olaitan