FirstBank says branch, head office, not sealed

FirstBank of Nigeria has refuted some online news reports about the closure of its branch, saying its branch, and head office are not sealed.

The bank said this in a statement, which reads, “Our attention has been drawn to the news reports online with the conflicting claims that the FirstBank branch or/head office has been sealed.”

The bank said that the referenced story was a misrepresentation of the facts and misleading.

“Neither our branch nor head office was sealed,” the bank said, adding that on August 4, 2022, there was an unlawful enforcement at the Bank’s Coomassie House Branch of a garnishee order issued by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja which order the Bank is still challenging in court.

While the bank has taken appropriate legal steps to deal with the situation, it said, “we wish to reassure our customers of unhindered banking services and unique customer experience in all our branches and through our numerous alternative channels.”

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.