A Nigerian artisan, Clancy Owie, has raised concerns after more than ₦200,000 was allegedly withdrawn from his bank account without his authorisation, with the financial institution yet to reverse the transaction.
Owie said the incident occurred last Thursday when he received two separate debit alerts of ₦100,000 each, indicating transfers made to a SportyBet account—transactions he insists he neither initiated nor approved.
Speaking about the development in an interview with Foundation for Investigative Journalism, the artisan expressed shock, maintaining that he has no relationship with the betting platform.
“I saw two debit alerts of ₦100,000 each into SportyBet, which I know nothing about. I am not a gambler, so I don’t understand how such a transaction happened,” he said.
According to him, the total amount deducted from his account was ₦200,107, a sum he had set aside to purchase materials needed for his work.
“This money is meant for my business. I planned to use it to buy materials,” Owie explained, adding that the unexpected deduction disrupted his schedule and livelihood.
After reporting the issue to UBA on Friday, he said the bank informed him that the transfer was carried out via a mobile transaction and asked him to wait 23 working days while investigations are conducted.
“The bank told me to wait for 23 working days. They said they are working on it, and that was all they could tell me,” he recounted.
The case highlights growing customer concerns over electronic transaction disputes and the length of time often required to resolve them, particularly when the affected funds are tied to daily business operations.
As of the time of reporting, the bank had not issued any further public clarification regarding the complaint.
