Abeokuta — About 120 teachers employed by the Ogun State government have threatened to sue First Bank of Nigeria Limited, for damaging their reputations.
The teachers allege that their names were used to fraudulently access a N200 million loan from the bank, following which they were arrested and taken to Lagos by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for interrogation.
The N200 million loan, believed to be a scam by yet to be identified persons, was allegedly obtained by the teachers in 2011, and only came into the open about two weeks ago.
Chairman of the Ogun State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Dare Ilekoya, made this known while briefing journalists, insisting that the 120 teachers were innocent.
The teachers, mainly from of the Abeokuta South Local Government area of the state, were divided into six batches of 20 each, and taken to Lagos where they were quizzed by operatives of EFCC.
Ilekoya however said all the teachers were cleared by the EFCC, after it was discovered that none of them obtained any loan from the bank.
"Not a single secondary school teacher was found to have applied for, filled, signed any form or has taken any amount of money from the First Bank Plc or any of their accomplices. They all returned as heroes," he said.
Ilekoya noted that the state's NUT chapter feels slighted by the development because, according to him, "the teachers have been subjected to public ridicule, defamation of character and untold hardship, and thus demanded apology from the bank to them individually and collectively, or the union would initiate legal action against it.
"The Nigeria Union of Teachers demands unreserved apologies to these teachers, individually and collectively.
"For this, the union will still be contacting the bank via official letters and physical contacts. These apologies must be tendered in written form because of unforeseen future occurrences; otherwise the union and the affected teachers will be left with no option than to seek legal redress on the matter."
Ilekoya who said the NUT is awaiting the outcome of the EFCC's investigation into the fraud, urged the anti-graft agency to beam its searchlight on FirstBank and its staff so as to fish out the perpetrators and their accomplices.
While he described the affected teachers as 'heroes of the struggle,' the NUT boss warned that the issue must not be swept under the carpet, describing the fraud as a national disgrace.
"This is a national disgrace, an assault on our collective psyche which must not be swept under the carpet. All the culprits and actors found culpable in this shameful act of fraud must be brought to book at all costs," he concluded.
When contacted, Babatunde Lasaki Head, Media and External Relations, First Bank, said he was not aware of the development and that he needs to contact the bank's legal department before making a categorical statement. http://allafrica.com/stories/201507171441.html |
