Court Slams UBA Over Unauthorized Debits As Customer To Get N204k Refund, N5m In Damages
About The Author
A District Court sitting in Abuja has ordered United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc and one Aminu Hassan Anslem to jointly refund the sum of ₦204,129 and pay ₦5 million in damages to a customer, Mr. Ekebire Jonah, over a series of unauthorized debits from his bank account.
In a judgment delivered on April 14, 2025, District Judge Ekwoaba Anthony Chigozie ruled that UBA acted negligently by failing to respond appropriately to the customer’s immediate complaint concerning suspicious transactions that occurred between May 31 and June 1, 2021.
According to court documents, Jonah’s account was debited twice for ₦100,053.75 on May 31, with smaller subsequent withdrawals totalling ₦4,021.50 the following day. The debited sums were traced to an account domiciled at Guaranty Trust Bank, allegedly belonging to Aminu Hassan Anslem, who neither appeared in court nor filed a defence.
Despite Jonah physically visiting a UBA branch and promptly alerting bank officials, the unauthorized transactions proceeded without intervention. He tendered his bank statements, a complaint acknowledgment email from UBA, and a petition to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as evidence.
UBA argued that the transactions were initiated with Jonah’s consent, claiming his banking credentials had been compromised and that the debits were authorised via one-time passwords (OTPs). However, the court found discrepancies in this claim, noting that the OTPs cited by the bank did not match the transactions in question. The court also described the bank’s internal report as lacking objectivity.
Relying on Section 37(3) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, which mandates banks to reverse unauthorized debits within 72 hours of notification, the court concluded that UBA failed in its statutory obligation.
Accordingly, Judge Chigozie ordered UBA and Anslem to refund the exact amount debited and awarded ₦5 million in general damages for the emotional distress and inconvenience suffered by the claimant. However, the court declined Jonah’s request for reimbursement of litigation costs, ruling that each party should bear its own expenses.
Legal observers have described the ruling as a significant win for consumer rights and a strong reminder to financial institutions to treat fraud alerts with urgency and seriousness.
