By Dotun Ibiwoye
Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO, has called on the management of Diamond Bank Plc to stop the victimisation of  five of its ex-staff.

The staff are Messrs Utieyin Obioru, Chukwuma Kalu, Tokunbo Obayemi, Ladoja Gbolahan and Adesoji Adekunle  whose last assignment was at Lebanon Street branch in Ibadan.

In a press conference Monday,  acting president, Mr. Igho Akeregha, said the former employees of the bank were persistently persecuted by the management of the bank  and the  Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in an attempt by the bank to shield itself from investigation and possible indictment by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, over  alleged illegal running of accounts of a particular customer.

Igho also said the former staff were arrested by operatives of the  EFCC and detained at its Lagos office for about two weeks while the Commission claimed that it acted on a petition written by the bank, alleging that the ex-staff had conspired with a customer to steal N70 million.

“The EFCC later directed the former staff to report periodically to its office while the bank placed them on indefinite suspension without pay. Following their prolonged suspension and constant harassment, the bank officials formally resigned their appointments and their resignation letters were acknowledged as being received.

“The National Judicial Council should investigate the authenticity of the warrants which the EFCC tendered in court and Diamond Bank should concentrate on defending herself in the pending suits against  them, rather than run to the EFCC to help them perpetrate illegality and injustice.”