Our Visit To Senator Uba Was Solely To Address His Indebtedness — Heritage Bank

The Heritage Bank PLC has reacted to the video making rounds in the media over the visit by its staff to Senator Andy Uba, representing Anambra South Senatorial District in the Senate.

The Bank, in a memo signed by its Managing Director, Ifie Sekibo, shared by TRIXX NG and sighted by TheNigeriaLawyer, the bank says the visit is premised on the objective of the bank to recover its debts and nothing more

“Out attention has been drawn to a recent video currently making the rounds online, where some of our colleagues visited the residence of one of our debtors in Abuja in accordance with our loan recovery drive. As expected, this video has generated a variety of sentiment, thoughts, and opinions which at this juncture requires some context to facilitate better customer management and ourselves as a team.

“Consistent with our strategic business objective, we had prioritized the recovery of all our outstanding loans owed the bank, with the clear intent to bring same in conformity with agreed levels. Consequently, the recent visit of our colleagues was in line with this objective and solely to address the indebtedness of our customer.

“While we did not deliberately put out our colleagues’ action in social media, I urge that we see the aftermath of the recent events in line with our resolve to realizing our recovery objective with a view to sustaining and improving our services delivery to all our stakeholders,” Sekibo said

He, therefore, encourage the staff to “be bold in tenacious, fiercely engaging rye market and refusing all forms of intimidation which this current phase may present.”

Recall that Senator Uba, who is an All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant in the forthcoming Governorship election in Anambra State, has threatened to sue Heritage Bank over the trending video.

In a letter dated June 23, 2021 signed by his lawyer, Ahmed Raji, SAN, Senator Uba argued that the actions of the bank staff have exposed him to ridicule, shame and embarrassment.

He, therefore, asked the bank to tender an unreserved apology in five national dailies and N5billion damages.

”Despite your veiled denial, the deliberateness of your staffs’ action is founded and the intent, to wit: – bring our client to public opprobrium shame ridicule scorn etc. is glaring for all to see.

”This is more so, as you deliberately picked the rather inauspicious period immediately preceding the forthcoming gubernatorial primary election of the All Progressives Congress [APC] for Anambra State slated for the 26th of June 2021, wherein our client is the leading candidate to clinch his Party’s ticket, to stage this smear campaign against him.

”Surely, the damage occasioned to our client by your calculated but ill-advised action is unquantifiable. However, our client will be assuaged if a public apology, unreserved, is tendered by you and published in at least five national daily newspapers within a day of receipt of this letter and payment N5b in damages.

”If not, we have our client’s further instructions to seek redress against you in a court of law for the same. Kindly be advised.

”We do hope that you will take benefit of the olive branch offered in this letter; the gamble, otherwise, is yours to suffer.” the letter reads in part.