Godwin Emefiele, the ex-governor of the Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN), has been accused of consenting to the “unlawful removal” of
$6.23 million from the vault of the apex bank’s Abuja office.
The special investigation panel on the CBN and related
entities disclosed this in its final report, titled, ‘Report of the Special
Investigation on CBN and Related Entities (Chargeable offences)’, submitted to
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday.
The panel is chaired by Jim Obazee, the special
investigator, who was appointed the president to probe the activities of the
financial regulator under Emefiele.
According to the report, the funds, withdrawn from the
foreign payments office, CBN’s Abuja branch, were “purportedly for foreign
election observer missions”.
The panel said the physical acts of the “unlawful removal”
were captured on a closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage “which was viewed
and preserved”.
The report said a letter, dated January 23, 2023, with a
signature mark of former President Muhammadu Buhari, was sent to Boss Mustapha,
the erstwhile secretary to the government of the federation, with the caption,
“Presidential Directive on Foreign Election Observer Misions”.
But it was later found that “Buhari’s signature appeared to
have been forged”, the panel said.
The panel’s report also referenced another letter, dated
January 26, 2023, and directed to Emefiele “for payment of the sum of $6.23
million as a contingent logistics advance…in line with Presidential directive”.
“A follow-up letter dated 31st January, 2023, from Director,
Banking Services Department, with signature mark of a Deputy Director, Mrs
Katherine Igundunasse, signing for the Director Banking Services Department,
was sent to the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, requesting for approval to
effect payment of the sum of $6.23m,” the report reads.
“The letter referred to in (iii), above, contained a
signature mark and approval notation of the Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, and
conveying consent to pay the sum of US$6.23m.
“The letter referred to in (iv), above trail a letter dated
7th February, 2023, from Director, Banking Services Department, with signature
mark of a Deputy Director, Mrs Catherine Igundunasse, signing for the Director
Banking Services Department, Mr Samuel Chukwuyem Okojere, on 7th January 2023,
and sent to Branch Controller Abuja Branch, furthering process for the payment
in cash of the sum of $6.23m to persons yet to be identified.
“The letter referred
to in (v), above, was brought by Emmanuel Odeh Dickson and received by the
Secretary to the Branch Controller and delivered to the Branch Controller,
Abuja Branch, Mr Onyeka Mcchaey Ogbu who gave instructions represented by a
written minute on same to Mr Kareem Williams Dauda, the Head Banking Unit,
requesting him to treat the document.
“Mr Kareem Williams Dauda, further directed the Head Forex,
Mr Mohammed Mohammed Kudu, to ‘deal as approved’.
“The Head Teller, Mr Yakubu Maaku Samuila, directed Mr Uzero
Emmanuel Oghenefego to ‘pls treat as directed by the Governor’.”
Oghenefego took steps, according to the report, by procuring
the dollar cash and releasing it to persons yet to be fully identified.
“As at date, Addulwaheed Muhammed has admitted in a written
statement that he acted in collaboration with one Bashirdeen Mohammed Maisanu,
an Assistant Director in the Banking Supervision Department of the Central Bank
of Nigeria and some persons he is yet to identify, to conceive and carry out
the act of stealing the sum of $6.23million out of the vault of the Central
Bank of Nigeria,” the report added.
‘APPEARANCE OF
CONCEALMENT’
According to the report, the “fraudulent cash withdrawal”, perpetrated
on February 8, 2023, was not discovered nor taken seriously till December 4,
when the special investigator’s office issued a request for information.
The panel’s report, therefore, said there is an appearance
of concealment by some officers who occupied positions around the period.
The officials listed in the report are Ogbu Mcchael, the
branch controller, Abuja branch of the CBN; Samuel Okojere, director of banking
services, CBN; and Elizabeth Fasonranti, director branch operations department
of CBN.
The report said the officials who carried out the heist
“have been arrested and investigation continues”.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
A round of applause. But not to end as a media trail
ReplyDelete