Most banks are required by the Central Bank of Nigeria under the law to have a Customer Complaints Desk in their offices to ensure timely resolution of bank customers complaints including those relating to wrongful bank charges or deductions.
The steps to take when you observe that your bank has made a wrongful or fraudulent charge or deduction on your savings/current account is to first contact your bank and report the complaint at the bank or branch where the issue originated.
You are then required to allow two weeks (it might be less in some banks) for the issue to be resolved. If after lodging your complaint, your bank still fails to engage you and resolve the complaint within the said two weeks, you have the right to escalate your complaint to the Consumer Protection Department of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Note that your complaint can only become ripe to be attended to at the said Consumer Protection Department of the Central Bank of Nigeria when the complaint to your bank is unattended to for two weeks.
The Consumer Protection Department can be contacted by email through cpd@cbn.gov.ng or by letter directed to:
The Director,
Consumer Protection Department
Central Bank of Nigeria
Central Business District
Abuja, F.C.T
Relevant documents to support your claim and evidence to show that you have first lodged the complaint at your bank is required.
Fatima Usman-Aliyu (Pro-Bono Partner)
07036988982
