The atmosphere around FIBank headquarters on Lightfoot Boston Street was very tense and chaotic yesterday, as workers and customers puzzled over the unprecedented closure of the bank with heavy police presence.

The closure comes, after the Managing Director, Dr. Hasiatu G. Jalloh, strongly ordered an unexpected shut down of the bank’s headquarters and all its branches countrywide, following a court decision on the long drawn-out ownership battle between SLOK Nigeria Limited and Lilium Gray’s & Lilium Holdings.

Dr. Hasiatu G. Jalloh’s orders, comes, after the country’s Central Bank informed FIBank, that the injunction earlier slammed on the central bank to stay action in the ongoing ownership struggle between both parties had been lifted by the Appeals Court.

Furthermore, the Governor, Kelfala Kallon also informed the bank that, according to the Attorney General’s Office, overwhelming evidence in the matter had proved that, Lilium Gray’s & Lilium Holdings is the legal owner of the bank, hence, cautioned the management to act accordingly to ensure a smooth transition.

In this regard, the Governor requested Lilium Gray’s & Lilium Holdings to send people that would run the bank for fit and proper test, in order to ensure they are credible and trustworthy to run a financial institution

As a result of this development, the Managing Director, Hasiatu Jalloh, ordered the closure of the banks countrywide, which the governor viewed as gross disrespect to authority. This left the Governor with no option, but to invoke the powers vested in him by the Bank Act and act accordingly.

This led to the forceful reopening of the bank by Lilium Gray’s & Lilium Holdings in the presence of heavy police presence. Meanwhile, he has cautioned staff not to take any further instructions from the previously management, failing which, will cost them their jobs.

In the same vein, the Governor also assured customers to remain calm as their savings are well protected.

In the early hours of Monday 26, November, 2018, workers who reported for duty and customers, especially government workers who stormed the bank to access their salaries were absolutely traumatized to see the bank’s headquarters and all its braches countrywide completely closed down without prior notice from management.

In an other development, the Management and Board of FIBank has issued a press release stating that, due to the besieging and overrun of the bank’s premises by armed men from the Sierra Leone Police Force the banks countrywide were shut down, inorder to protect the staff and depositiors funds, pending the removal of the trespassing aggressors.