Banks in Bwari Area Council and along the airport road in the Federal Capital Territory didn’t open for business activity on Thursday leaving customers stranded.
This is due to ongoing protests to end bad governance in the country.
The protest, which began in the early hours of Thursday, aimed to draw attention to the hunger and low purchasing power of citizens.
A visit to several banks by our correspondents showed that banks were locked, with security officers barricading customers from accessing the banking halls.
At the First Bank of Nigeria branch, a private security guard said, “We are not open yet, we are still waiting for the order to do so.”
When asked why the bank remained locked at 9:30 am on a working day, he replied, “Today is different, you know what is happening in the country now.”
Similarly, branches of Zenith Bank, Polaris, Unity, and FCMB were closed, leaving customers unable to access cash.
“This is unfortunate. I have been standing here for hours waiting for money, but nothing is forthcoming,” a frustrated customer lamented.
The streets were deserted due to fear of violence erupting from the protest, and the major market in Bwari was also affected, with many residents opting for panic buying instead of venturing out.
A Point of Sale operator, Matilda, said, “I’m not in a hurry to open my shop this morning because many persons are still in their homes. People are not moving about now.”
Along the popular airport road, banks including GT Bank, Stanbic IBTC, United Bank of Africa and Zenith Bank were shut with staff asked to stay at home.
It was gathered that the instruction not to open a shop was based on a directive from the headquarters of all banks.
Our correspondent also observed heavy security presence at the banks despite closure and didn’t allow one of our correspondents to take pictures.
A security official said, “All the banks here didn’t open today. It was based on a directive from the headquarters of these branches. Even though you can see security personnel here, the banks were asked not to open for business.”
Customers who came for financial transactions were turned back.
Even the Automated Teller Machine Stands were shut.
PUNCH Online observed that less activities on the busy access road into the capital city with security patrol vehicles going around the city.
