Former presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad, has come under fire for fabricating a story to push an anti-Igbo agenda.
Ahmad, who served as Special Assistant to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, posted on X that he mistakenly transferred money to an Igbo man, Obi Ikechukwu Marcel, who allegedly refused to return it despite multiple attempts by the bank to retrieve the funds.
In his post, Ahmad claimed that he had reported the case to Providus Bank, which directed him to Access Bank, where the recipient’s account was domiciled.
Ahmad’s post on X, “I just can’t understand why some of our institutions fail to protect us. In late December 2024, I mistakenly transferred money to the wrong bank account belonging to one Obi Ikechukwu Marcel. I reported the incident to @ProvidusBank, the bank I made the transfer from, and they directed me to @myAccessBank, the recipient’s bank.
“At Access Bank, they contacted Mr. Ikechukwu, who confirmed receiving the money but was unwilling to return it. When the bank representative informed him that his account would be flagged to prevent him from any further transactions, he then asked for some time to decide. However, after a week, when they tried to reach him again, he stopped answering calls. Eventually, Access Bank restricted his account, yet they told me there was nothing more they could do unless I obtained a court order.
“To my shock, when I went to the court to obtain the order, I was told that I had to pay 20% of the disputed amount upfront before they would proceed with the process.
“Honestly, this experience has left me deeply frustrated. How can a system that should protect us instead make us so vulnerable?
“This is not just about my case, it is about the lack of institutional support that allows injustice to thrive,” he added.
However, fact-checkers have revealed that the story was false. The same narrative was originally posted six days earlier by a Facebook user, Basiru Marwan, who claimed the incident involved Moniepoint and UBA.
Ahmad, however, altered key details, replacing the banks in the original story with Access and Providus Bank.
Critics believe this was a deliberate attempt to fuel ethnic tensions, especially as it came on the heels of a viral thread celebrating the industriousness of Igbo youths.
While many Nigerians called out Ahmad for spreading misinformation, some APC supporters and tribalists seized the moment to reinforce negative stereotypes about the Igbo people, labeling Igbos as “thieves,” just like Peter Obi.
Follow the Parallel Facts channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCQSAoHgZWiDjR3Kn2E
