First Bank Withholds Dead Customer’s Balance Over Strange Loan—-A civil servant living in Iwo, Osun State, has shared how First Bank refused to release the money in her late husband’s account.
The civil servant, who does not want to be named, told FIJ that the state government under former governor Rauf Aregbesola owed workers, including her late husband, three years’ half salaries.
In 2023, Ademola Adeleke, the current governor, began paying part of the backlog of unpaid salaries. FIJ learned that when the widow tried to access the money at First Bank, where her husband’s account was domiciled, the bank told her that the money had been written off for a purported unpaid loan, and that she could not withdraw it.
This revelation was surprising because, according to the woman, her husband did not take any loans. Also, when she first went to the bank to confirm the payment in September 2023, the bank official who verified it didn’t mention any unpaid loan.
She noted that even after her husband’s passing in 2020, she still carried out some transactions on the account until the debit card issued to the deceased expired. “After I learned that the government had started paying part of the unpaid salaries, I went to his bank in Iwo in September 2023.
An official told me that about N108,000 had been paid into my husband’s account. However, I could not access it because it was not my account,” she told FIJ. “Then I made inquiries from my colleagues, and I gathered that I would have to notify the state government, who would then reach out to the bank so the money could be released to me.”
The deceased man’s wife told FIJ that she secured a letter of administration, dated November 23, 2023, from the state government through the state’s ministry of justice.
“I took the letter to First Bank in Iwo. I also wrote a letter of reactivation of the account, but I still could not access the money. I went to the bank again sometime in February 2024, and an official claimed the account had been written off due to loan balances.
But I know my husband had no unpaid loan. “When I asked them to provide his account statement, the official said I wouldn’t be able to get it. But he said he would email the headquarters about the whole issue.” In response to FIJ’s email sent in March, Thaddeus Ozioko, an official from First Bank, wrote:
“In consideration of the sensitive nature of your request, we regret to inform you that we are unable to provide assistance through this channel. Kindly note that your request will need to be addressed in person at one of our branches.”
” I want to recognise and appreciate all our royal fathers present here, but I wish to single out my friend, His Royal Majesty Olowu of Kuta Kingdom, Oba Adekunle Makama Oyelude, Tegbosun iii.
He has been my friend for over thirty years ago in my domain here.
I wonder how he navigated his way back to Osun and become a Chief”, above were the words of Vice President Kashim Shettima upon sighting Kabiyesi at the wedding fathiha of the daughter of former chief of army staff, Lt Gen TY Buratai rtd @ Snake Farm, Keffi, Nasarawa State at the weekend
Aston Villa Complete Alejandro Garnacho Signing from Chelsea on Season-Long Loan with Mandatory Buy Clause—-Unai Emery has landed one of his top transfer targets after Aston Villa reached an agreement with Chelsea for Alejandro Garnacho to join on a season-long loan, with a conditional obligation to make the move permanent.
Aston Villa have reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign Argentina international Alejandro Garnacho on a season-long loan, with a buy clause that will become mandatory if certain conditions are met. The move is expected to be finalized after the 22-year-old completes the remaining formalities following his medical in Birmingham.
The deal represents a significant show of faith from Villa manager Unai Emery, who has long admired Garnacho and had attempted to sign the winger before his move from Manchester United to Chelsea last summer. Emery is understood to have personally pushed for the transfer, believing he can help the Argentine rediscover the form that made him one of the Premier League’s brightest young talents.
Although structured initially as a loan until the end of the 2026-27 season, the agreement includes a conditional obligation to buy. The exact conditions have not been disclosed publicly, but reports indicate they are linked to performance or appearance targets and are widely expected to be met. Garnacho has already agreed personal terms on a four-year contract that will take effect once the permanent transfer is triggered.
Garnacho’s departure comes just one year after Chelsea signed him from Manchester United on a long-term contract. Despite arriving at Stamford Bridge with high expectations, the winger struggled to establish himself as a regular starter, managing only limited league starts as competition for places intensified under new manager Xabi Alonso. Chelsea’s recent club-record £117 million signing of Morgan Rogers further reduced Garnacho’s prospects of regular first-team football, making a move away increasingly likely.
For Aston Villa, the signing is another statement of intent as the club prepares for a campaign that includes UEFA Champions League football. Emery has built a reputation for revitalizing players whose careers have stalled, and Villa believe Garnacho’s pace, direct running and attacking flair can add a new dimension to their frontline. Club officials are confident the Argentine international still possesses the potential to develop into one of the Premier League’s top wingers under Emery’s guidance.
The transfer also continues a busy summer of business between Aston Villa and Chelsea. It follows Chelsea’s acquisition of Morgan Rogers in a British-record £117 million deal, with Garnacho now heading in the opposite direction as both clubs reshape their squads ahead of the new season. While the financial details of the future permanent transfer remain undisclosed, all parties are confident the move will become permanent once the agreed conditions are fulfilled.