Attacks: Stay at home, ASSBIFI tells bank staff

The Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) has asked all bank staff to stay away from work as more bank branches come under attack by hoodlums across the country owing to the current naira scarcity.

The association had on Thursday during a media briefing in Lagos, warned that it might be forced to direct its members to stay away from work if the attacks on banks and their staff were not immediately halted by the government and concerned security authorities.

In a follow-up statement signed by Olusoji Oluwole, ASSBIFI’s national president, the association said: “The National Secretariat has been inundated with reports of threats and attacks on lives and properties of members and bank branches, and subsequently has been on the field to monitor and confirm the reports.

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“We issued warnings and appeals to government to provide security measure for the safety of lives and properties of our members within and around the bank premises, but regrettably the attacks have continued without any form of security for the safety of our members, and the recent being the attack today, Friday, February 17 2023 on one bank branch at Epe, Lagos State.

“We cannot leave the lives and properties of our members exposed to obvious danger. Consequently, all members should today immediately stay away from work in any area where bank branches are attacked. This is to continue every day until normalcy is restored. Please note, you will be availed further directives as events develop.”

Hope Moses-Ashike

Hope Moses-Ashike is an Associate Editor, Banking and Finance, with more than a decade of experience reporting on Nigeria’s financial system and broader economy. She closely tracks market movements, monetary policy decisions, company disclosures, regulatory actions, economic indicators, and global developments, and interprets what they mean for businesses, investors, policymakers, and households. Her reporting helps readers understand complex issues such as inflation trends, foreign exchange market dynamics, interest rate decisions, bank performance, and investment risks. She also covers major international events and periodically travels to Washington, D.C., to report on the World Bank/IMF Spring and Annual Meetings. Her dedication to financial journalism has earned her multiple recognitions and invitations to high-level professional development programmes. She is an alumna of the International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP) in the United States and holds an Advanced Financial Journalism Certificate from the Press Association Training in London, UK. Her other notable achievements include completing the Lagos Business School CMC Programme, the Bloomberg Media Africa Initiative Programme, and a Master Class in Journalism at Rhodes University in South Africa.