The refund of ₦3 million to a customer’s account by Access Bank has sparked fresh concerns about how inactive and dormant bank accounts are handled in Nigeria.
Reacting to the development, a commentator questioned whether the customer would have recovered her money if she had not publicly raised the alarm.
The reaction also opened a wider conversation about alleged misconduct within the Nigerian banking sector, with the speaker claiming that some bank employees across various financial institutions engage in unauthorized transactions involving customers’ funds.
According to the commentator, such alleged practices are particularly worrying when accounts contain substantial amounts of money but have remained inactive for extended periods.
The speaker alleged that some dishonest employees may assume that a customer who has stopped operating an account could have died, and that unauthorized debits could then be used to test whether the account holder or their representatives would notice and challenge the transactions.
The commentator further claimed that if no complaint is immediately made, such deductions could allegedly continue unnoticed for a long period.
The claims were extended beyond Access Bank, with the commentator mentioning several major Nigerian banks, including GTBank, Zenith Bank and First Bank, while stressing that the concern was about the banking industry generally rather than one particular institution.
The allegations have also raised questions about what happens to dormant accounts when account holders die. The commentator suggested that unauthorized withdrawals from inactive accounts could make it more difficult for legitimate beneficiaries or next of kin to identify and recover funds belonging to deceased customers.
However, such allegations should not be taken as evidence that the banks or their employees routinely engage in such conduct. Unauthorized transactions can arise from different causes, and individual cases require investigation before responsibility can be established.
The Access Bank refund has nevertheless reignited the importance of customers regularly monitoring their accounts, reporting suspicious transactions promptly and ensuring that trusted family members or next of kin understand the appropriate procedures for accessing assets in the event of death.
The incident has also renewed calls for stronger internal controls, effective monitoring of dormant accounts and swift investigations whenever customers report unexplained deductions.
For many Nigerians, the bigger question remains whether customers should have to make public complaints before disputed funds are returned to their accounts.
