Unity Bank restores service, begins duty collection

Unity Bank Plc has announced the restoration of services on its system and the readiness to collect duty for cargoes from licensed customs agents and freight forwarders.

This is coming days after licensed agents under the Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria slammed Unity Bank over the inability of agents to capture jobs and pay customs duty at the bank since September 2, 2024, due to downtime in the bank’s server.

The Head of Corporate Communications at Unity Bank, Mr Matthew Obiazikwor, disclosed in a note sent to The PUNCH on Thursday that the server had been upgraded and service restored.

The PUNCH reported that the President of APFFLON, Frank Ogunojemite, lamented that agents had been unable to pay duties since Monday due to the system breakdown of the bank, thereby incurring demurrage and rent on cargoes lying at the seaports and airports.

According to him, cargoes have been captured by customs using Unity Bank; hence, it is difficult to switch banks.

Ogunojemite lamented that demurrages had continued to accrue on the cargoes at the port due to the problem, adding that it was not the fault of the freight forwarders.

He stated that the bank would have to compensate freight forwarders for the period of the system breakdown to cover the losses incurred at the port.

“We have been unable to capture and pay for our customs duty since Monday due to challenges at Unity Bank. The bank has been unable to resolve the hitches, and demurrage is accruing.

“It is difficult to switch banks because wherever the bank you opened your Form M and captured your job is where you finish transactions, and we don’t even know when they will solve the problems,” he said.

He stated, “Since Monday, we can’t do anything. We can’t make any payment for all the jobs that were captured there. You know, when you capture your job with a bank, you can’t change the bank. We are talking over N120bn worth of cargo that is trapped within these three days.

However, giving updates on the issues, the Unity Bank spokesperson, Obiazikwor, said, “We have successfully concluded our system maintenance, and service has been fully restored on all platforms.

“We once again sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused and remain committed to providing you with exceptional service. Thank you,” he stated.