Nigerian bank customers say they are prepared to leave Providus Bank after alleging unauthorised access to their debit and payment cards, following what they describe as a lack of timely clarification from the lender and regulators.
Key takeaways
- Customers of Providus Bank have threatened to switch banks over alleged unauthorised card transactions.
- A warning was raised the previous week about debit cards being accessed without permission.
- Despite attempts to obtain responses, Providus Bank’s corporate communications head had not replied more than a week after being contacted on July 3, 2026.
- The Nigeria Data Protection Commission’s head of legal, enforcement and regulations did not respond to enquiries.
- The Bank Customers Association of Nigeria urged affected clients to escalate complaints to the Central Bank of Nigeria and consider alternative providers.
- Separate reporting says hackers accessed systems tied to Remita, Sterling Bank, Providus Bank and other financial institutions in March.
Customers push for action after alleged card breaches
In recent days, customers of Providus Bank said they decided to exit the bank after claims that their debit and payment cards were accessed without authorisation. The concerns follow an earlier wave of complaints in which Providus customers raised alarms that unauthorised access had occurred on their cards.
When contacted by phone on July 3, 2026, Providus Bank’s Head of Corporate Communications, Dafe Ivwurie, said he would respond later. More than a week passed without a reply, according to the account of the follow-up enquiries.
Enquiries were also made to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission. Babatunde Bamigboye, the agency’s Head of Legal, Enforcement and Regulations, did not respond to requests for comment.
For many affected customers, the lack of engagement has intensified suspicion. They claim that millions of naira were allegedly taken from their accounts following the unauthorised card activity, and they say the bank’s silence has delayed reassurance and remediation.
Industry group urges escalation to the central bank
Speaking on the situation, Dr Uju Ogunbunka, President of the Bank Customers Association of Nigeria, said it was regrettable that customers were left to bear the consequences of what she described as the bank’s negligence.
Ogunbunka advised customers not to wait for internal resolution alone. She urged affected clients to escalate their complaints to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and, where necessary, to shift their banking relationships to alternative institutions.
In the interview, she argued that Providus should quickly determine what went wrong and close the operational gap that allowed unauthorised card transactions. She said there was no justification for prolonged uncertainty and that customers should either leave the bank or bring the issue directly to the regulator if the bank does not take concrete steps to address the challenge.
Earlier cyber intrusion concerns linked to multiple financial firms
Further context to the dispute comes from earlier reporting that hackers gained unauthorised access to systems associated with Remita, Sterling Bank, Providus Bank and other financial institutions in March. That history, customers say, raises the stakes for faster investigations and clearer accountability.
