Customer Protests At GTBank Branch After N4Million Allegedly Vanishes From Account

A customer of the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank), identified as Ariyo Ahmed Adewale, has accused the bank of ordering his arrest after he staged a protest inside a Lagos branch over the alleged disappearance of N4million from his account.

Ariyo told newsmen on Monday, that he visited the GTBank branch in the Kosofe area of Lagos to demand an explanation after discovering that unauthorised transactions amounting to about N4.1million had been made on his account, allegedly via the online shopping platform Jumia — a platform he insists he has never used.

“On Saturday, the 7th of last week, I discovered that N2,000,000 had been debited from my GTBank account without my authorisation,” Ariyo said.

“As soon as I noticed the transaction, I immediately called GTBank customer care to report the incident and request that my account be blocked. Unfortunately, before they could act, the unauthorised transactions had already increased, totalling about N4.1million.”

According to him, the bank claimed the transactions were made using his debit card on Jumia, but Ariyo disputes this.

“I have never used Jumia in my life. I didn’t authorise any purchases or payments, and my card was with me the entire time. My phone was also with me—nobody else had access to it.”

In an attempt to get clarity, he visited the GTBank branch in Kosofe to request a detailed account statement.

However, he said his requests were met with resistance.

“I asked the bank staff to print out a statement showing all transactions prior to and during the incident. When I began to raise my voice in frustration, the manager called the police from the Alapere Police Station,” Ariyo explained.

He said officers from Alapere station asked him to write a formal complaint and advised that his lawyer file a petition concerning the transactions.

“What shocked me the most was that when I requested a screenshot or statement showing the exact transactions, I was told the bank cannot trace the specific action details and therefore cannot provide a record of the suspicious debits,” he said.

“The only thing visible is the remaining balance and the last successful transaction that I personally made before the issue started.”

Ariyo said he raised the alarm out of desperation, fearing that the bank’s inability to trace or explain such a significant loss of funds reflects deeper security lapses.

“The reason I protested was simple, N4 million disappeared from my account without my authorisation, and the bank cannot give me a proper explanation. How are customers supposed to feel safe?” he asked.

Ariyo says he now hopes for a full investigation and refund of his stolen funds, warning that if the issue is not resolved soon, he may pursue legal action.