The National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) has implored security agencies to check the activities of impostors in the financial sector to avert industrial unrest.
The General Secretary of NUBIFIE, Mr Muhammad Sheikh, made the appeal while speaking with newsmen on Thursday in Lagos.
According to him, any person who is no longer working with a financial institution but is manipulating crisis in the union will cause problems for the economy.
He said that the detention of the union’s President, Mr Danjuma Musa since over a week was an attempt by some people impersonating the office of the general secretary of the union to cause trouble.
“We wish to draw the attention of the general public and in particular the Nigeria police high command to an ongoing attempt by a person, who is impersonating as the general secretary of the union.
“It is sad that this person and others, all of whom are non-members of the union, are using security authorities to harass and intimidate the leadership of the union.”
Sheikh alleged that a former dispatch rider with the defunct Enterprise Bank had led a team of security operatives to arrest the union’s president on May 11.
The scribe said that Musa was still being held incommunicado and that his lawyers could not have access to him.
He alleged that the dispatch rider and his group had earlier sued the union in two separate courts and that on each occasion the case was dismissed.
“In the last judgment, the rider and his group were given a fine of N550, 000 by the court in favour of the union.’’
The unionist said that it was regrettable that the security operative hired by the former rider was intimidating Musa to submission by coercing him to resign and abdicate his mandate as the president of the union.
“This is sad because the union has its constitution which regulates and guides how processes on all matters are treated, including access to leadership positions or exit from such positions.
“The union will resist any attempt from any quarter to impose or determine who should be its leader.
He warned that the union would not hesitate to go on a nationwide strike if the activities of the impostors were not checked by security agencies.
Sheikh warned that the union’s president must be released unconditionally to avert industrial unrest in the financial sector. (NAN)