by Akintomiwa Agbaje

Senior bank officials in connection with the alleged laundering of N10billion by the two sons of Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido and their companies, have been freed by the federal government.

The bankers were detained by the Department of State Security (DSS).

The Association of Senior Staff of Banks Insurance and other Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) confirmed the release of the officials.

The Leadership reports:

The association had a month ago threatened to embark on a national strike to protest of the detention of the bank chiefs without arraignment in court.

In an interview with LEADERSHIP Sunday, an official of one of the affected banks said the workers’ plan to embark on strike had been abandoned following the release of the officials.

But the president of ASSBIFI, Mr Sunday Salako, denied the planned strike, saying: “We did not say we want to go on strike.

What I said was that we want to investigate to know if those arrested are our members.”

When asked if the detained officials had been released, Salako said he could not answer the question because the members of the association were not involved, adding that, “We still have it in mind to investigate the matter to ascertain what happen.”

Last month, the arrest and detention of the officers had generated panic in the banking sector following over two weeks detention without charges brought against the top officials of 13 banks.

The bankers were accused of facilitating money laundering by Aminu and Mustapha Lamido, who were arrested in Kano and flown to Abuja.

The affected bankers were senior officials of Fidelity Bank Plc, First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Plc, Wema Bank Plc, Access Bank Plc, Skye Bank Plc, First Bank Nigeria Limited, FBN, Sterling Bank Plc, Diamond Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, Unity Bank Plc, Ecobank Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, GTBank, and Citibank.