News
Banks raise cash withdrawal limits to reduce queues
The move, it was learnt, would help bank branches to tackle lingering queues in some cities across the country.
The Central Bank of Nigeria had on Friday directed commercial banks to open for operation on Saturday and Sunday, as part of a coordinated effort to ease the circulation of old and new banknotes.
This came after the CBN began the release of billions of old naira notes to DMBs. The central bank on Thursday finally obeyed the Supreme Court on the legal status of the old naira notes after months of controversy that trailed the naira redesign policy.
According to findings, most DMBs currently pay between N20,000 and N50,000 over-the-counter and Automated Teller Machines.
However, officials told our correspondents that banks were planning to raise the limits to enhance currency circulation and put a permanent end to queues in banking halls and ATM galleries.
Customers had on Monday thronged banking halls and ATM galleries to get cash despite the banks working throughout the weekend.
Visits to several bank branches in Lagos, Abuja, Ogun State and other cities revealed that customers in their numbers converged on bank premises to withdraw cash.
At the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, bank customers were able to access cash with less stress.
A visit to various bank branches showed that the queues at banking halls and ATM galleries had reduced.
The banks include Zenith Bank, Keystone Bank, Eco Bank and Access Bank located in Area One and Central Area.
The Access Bank branch at Garki dispensed a maximum of N20,000 via its ATM.
At Ecobank located in the same area, its busy cashier paid N50,000 to its customers while non-account holders were allowed to withdraw N10,000 at its ATM stand.
At Zenith Bank customers were allowed to withdraw as high as N500,000 over the counter.
However, Keystone Bank claimed not to have cash for disbursement due to low allocation from the apex bank.
She said, “I am very happy about the availability of cash. My customers are now paying with cash and I don’t have to wait for transfers or POS before I can conduct any transaction.”
In Lagos State, at the Access Bank and Union Bank branches in the Sabo Yaba area of the state, customers were able to access cash via their Automated Teller Machines.
In the Ikeja area of the state, banks were also dispensing cash albeit old naira notes. However, a few customers who could gain access to a Fidelity Bank in the area were able to leave with a mixture of both old and new banknotes.
The branch of Union Bank Plc located at Mazamaza, Lagos allowed customers into its banking hall in batches. The ATMs were however not loaded. The branches of First Bank of Nigeria Limited, and Access Bank Plc at Mazamaza did not grant customers access their ATMs.
At Oshodi Express, branches of Access Bank and Fidelity Bank dispensed cash inside their banking halls and via ATMs.
At the Ecobank branch at Ketu bus stop, Lagos, bank customers had access to N30,000 each in over-the-counter withdrawals.
As of 10:10am, our correspondent observed there were crowds of customers at the Guaranty Trust Bank branch inside the Redemption Camp. Some customers struggled to withdraw cash from the bank’s ATMs
The Premium Trust Bank had a minimal crowd as the long queue was well organised. Meanwhile, Unity Bank ATM dispensed cash to account holders only. Customers of other banks were unable to withdraw from the ATM.
Similarly, customers thronged banks in the Isolo and Airport Road area of Lagos on Monday. The majority of the banks were also disbursing cash, especially through their ATMs to customers.
The Access Bank branch in the Ire Akari area of Isolo, Lagos, was fully operational despite the crowd of customers who wanted to carry out different banking transactions. Customers were able to withdraw and deposit cash while the ATMs dispensed cash with a limit of N10,000.
At the Ecobank branch located at the Isolo bus stop, Lagos, a limited number of customers were allowed to go into the banking hall. Its ATMs were only paying N3,000. Some customers who had more than one debit cards were, however, able to withdraw more cash.
The First Bank branch located along Okota Road was fully operational with a large crowd.
A customer who introduced herself as Anu said “I wanted to make a withdrawal of N30,000 but the ATM could not dispense more than N10,000. I will manage this and make another withdrawal tomorrow till everything normalises.”
By Okey Maduforo Awka
The Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved the promotion of the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Livingstein Ikioye Orutugu, alongside 12 other Commissioners of Police, to the rank of Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG).
The Commission also approved the promotion of 17 Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) to the substantive rank of Commissioner of Police (CP).
In addition, the PSC approved the promotion of 93 senior police officers to their next ranks following their successful performance in the recently concluded written examination and oral interview conducted at the Commission’s Corporate Headquarters in Abuja.
The approvals were granted on July 1, 2026, at the PSC Corporate Headquarters in Abuja as one of the major resolutions reached during the Commission’s plenary meeting held the previous Wednesday.
Recall that CP Orutugu was appointed Police Commissioner and posted to Anambra state from the Zone 13 Police Command more than a year ago.
The Chairman of the Commission, DIG Hashimu Salihu Argungu (Rtd.), mni, while congratulating the promoted officers, urged them to remain truthful, transparent, and accountable in the discharge of their new responsibilities.
He further advised the officers to maintain the highest level of professionalism in the course of their duties, avoid involvement in civil disputes, particularly land-related matters, and remain mindful that there is life after retirement.
“Guard your reputation and integrity. Let your actions speak for you and not against you,” he said.
A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Osita Okechukwu, has commended President Bola Tinubu for retaining His Excellency Kashim Shettima as Vice President for his second term.
Okechukwu, who is the former Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), gave the commendation in a statement issued on Saturday in Enugu.
The APC Chieftain also advocated for the delegation of greater responsibilities to Shettima in overseeing the nation’s economic affairs.
Okechukwu said he was delighted that after all the speculation, rigmarole and political maneuvering surrounding the issue, President Tinubu graciously retained Vice President Shettima.
“May I commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for graciously retaining His Excellency Kashim Shettima as Vice President and humbly request that more powers be delegated to him to oversee economic affairs.
“I am making this humble appeal based on the fact that the economic reforms of President Tinubu have yielded significant gains at the macroeconomic stability level.
“However, hunger and poverty remain pressing challenges, which invariably require the urgent delegation of greater economic responsibilities to the Vice President, given his background in rural development and economic management,” Okechukwu said
The APC Chieftain recalled that the International Monetary Fund (IMF), godfather of neoliberalism and leading advocate of neoliberal economic policies, noted in its 2026 Article IV Consultation on Nigeria that the country requires more inclusive growth.
He quoted IMF as saying “approximately 63 per cent of Nigerians now live below the national poverty line”.
Okechukwu stressed that while the President’s economic reforms had improved key macroeconomic indicators, greater attention must be directed toward translating those gains into tangible improvements in the living standards of ordinary Nigerians.
“Shettima’s academic background in Agricultural Economics, experience in banking, and record in public service place him in a strong position to support efforts aimed at reducing poverty, promoting rural development, and ensuring that economic growth becomes more inclusive,” he added.
A Catholic priest from Nigeria who was on a pastoral mission to the United States of America has taken his own life after the expiration of his visa and following prevailing new visa policy of the USA.
Reverend Father Benjamin Okwy Madu (Father Ben) as he was fondly called by his parishioners, aged 54, took his own life Thursday evening, July 2, 2026 after he reportedly expressed unwillingness to go back to Nigeria because he had fallen in love with the community of Cape Ann, the city of North Shore including the parishioners.
Boston Archbishop Richard G. Henning sent a message to fellow priests confirming that Father Ben took his own life.
Local law enforcement and the Essex County District Attorney’s Office investigated the scene and noted that no foul play was suspected.
“Sincerely, it is not my wish to return home right now, but circumstances beyond my control have warranted that my time in the United States come to an end,” Father Ben wrote.
“My heart is broken, yet my joy remains. I will miss the home I found away from home… I will deeply miss the seaside, where I often drive to after Mass to call my family and hear about their Sundays.” he was reported to have posted a farewell message on the parish newsletter.
Father Ben, a 54-year-old Nigerian national from the Diocese of Abakaliki, had been serving as a beloved hospital chaplain and parish priest on the North Shore of Massachusetts since 2021.
His R-1 religious worker visa was expiring, and he was ordered to return to Nigeria. Just days before his death.
The Boston Globe reported that he had expressed deep fears about what would happen to him upon returning to Nigeria, where clergy frequently face severe perils, including violence and kidnapping
The outbreak is said to have spread across several ISWAP enclaves, exposing worsening sanitary conditions and the dwindling availability of medical care within the insurgents’ camps.
Security analyst Zagazola Makama disclosed the development in a post on X, citing intelligence sources familiar with the situation.
According to the sources, two other ISWAP fighters who contracted the highly infectious disease were allegedly executed by members of the group after efforts to treat them in Kimba village proved unsuccessful.
The incident is believed to reflect the increasingly difficult conditions inside the terrorist camps, where sustained military offensives have disrupted supply routes and severely limited access to medicines, healthcare and other essential resources.
Intelligence sources said the combination of poor hygiene, inadequate medical facilities and mounting operational pressure has left many of the insurgents vulnerable to disease outbreaks.
The sources further disclosed that military commanders have been advised to intensify efforts to intercept medical supplies and pharmaceutical products suspected of being destined for terrorist hideouts. Security officials believe cutting off access to healthcare supplies could further weaken ISWAP’s ability to treat injured or sick fighters and reduce the group’s operational capacity.
While the reports have not been independently verified, the development is seen as another indication of the mounting challenges facing the insurgent group as security forces continue sustained operations across the North-East.
The development was disclosed on Friday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
In a shared post on his verified X handle, Onanuga simply announced that the victims had been released by their abductors.
“Finally, all the kidnapped pupils and teachers in Orire, Oyo have been rescued by our security agencies,” he wrote.
As of the time of filing this report, details surrounding their release, including whether any ransom was paid or the circumstances leading to their freedom, had yet to be disclosed.
The abductions occurred on May 15, 2026, when armed men attacked three schools; Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School, in the Esiele and Yawota communities of Oriire Local Government Area.
No fewer than 39 pupils and seven teachers, including a principal, were taken during the attacks.
During the attack, a teacher, Joel Adesiyan, was killed while attempting to escape.
Another teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was beheaded in the kidnappers’ den.
The terrorists holding the victims had reportedly made a four-point demand before agreeing to free the captives, including the release of detained terrorist commanders, payment of ransom, two Hilux vehicles and the implementation of Sharia-related law.
The Oyo State Government had consistently maintained that no ransom would be paid to secure the release of any victims.
The incident had triggered weeks of public anguish, with the Nigeria Union of Teachers embarking on a month-long strike in the state to press for the victims’ rescue before suspending the action in July.
It also drew federal intervention, with military and police authorities repeatedly assuring Nigerians that operations to secure the victims’ freedom were ongoing.
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