Aduragbemi Omiyale
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Three persons, including a staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Odoh Ocheme, are on the run for allegedly forging the signature of former President Muhammadu Buhari to pull out $6.2 million from the apex bank.
It was reported that the money was withdrawn as cash to pay foreign election observers in the 2023 general elections in the country.
On Tuesday, the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, told Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, Abuja, that a memo used to withdraw the money was never signed by Mr Buhari.
He noted that the “document did not emanate from the office of the President,” pointing out a few errors in the memo, including the closing part which read, please accept the assurance of my highest regard, which is said is abnormal.
“In all the correspondence I have received from my principal, it has never ended with please accept the assurance of my highest regard. I am his subordinate, so nothing of such would emanate,” he told the judge as a witness in the case against the former Governor of the CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Shortly after news of this revelation yesterday, the federal government declared Mr Ocheme, alongside Adamu Abubakar and Imam Abubakar, wanted for forgery.
In a letter to the Assistant Inspector General of Police by office of the CBN special investigator, the police was asked to place the accused persons “on Interpol Red Notice.”
“The Special Investigator, appointed by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to investigate the CBN Related Entities and other key government business entities, KGBEs, kindly requests you to place the above-named individuals on INTERPOL red notice.
“In the course of the Special Investigator’s assignment, Mr. Odoh Ocheme, (a staff of the CBN) now at large and the other two accomplices, also now at large, were discovered to have conspired and forged documents in the name of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria with which they stole about US$6,230,000 in cash, from the coffers of the CBN.
“Consequent upon the above, a charge was filed and warrants of arrest have been issued by the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Abuja Division, presided over by Hon. Justice I.E. Ekwo in Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/19/2024 B/w: Federal Republic of Nigeria v. Adamu Abubakar & 2 Ors for the arrest and production of the Defendants named above for their arraignment.
“The data page of Odoh Ocheme’s Nigerian International Passport No. B50082800, duly certified true copies of the warrants and the Order of the Court to that effect are hereby attached.
“The special investigator, therefore, prays you to use your good offices to request that the Defendants be placed on Interpol Red Notice, with a view to apprehending and repatriating them from any of the Interpol member states to which they may have flown,” the letter signed by the Head of Operation in the Office of Special Investigator, Mr Eloho Okpoziakpo, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), read.
