Alleged fraud of $ 6.3 million: the Court changes the positions of FG against CBN staff, others

The Federal Superior Court of Abuja has set on November 3 this year to read positions of a staff from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. ODOH Eric Ocheme and two others that allegedly obtained the sum of $ 6.3 million of the CBN with alleged letters of the presidency and office of the secretary of the Federation Government (OSGF).

Judge Inyang Edem Ekwo changed the reading of charges on Thursday after the inability of the federal government to produce the three people accused before him.

The three accused people are Adamu Abubakar, Imam Abubakar and Odoh Ochene, who allegedly obtained the cash of the Apex bank with an alleged mandate of the presidency to resolve foreign electoral observers.

Although the reading of charges was scheduled for Thursday, the federal government lawyer, Celestine Odoh, informed the judge that the three people accused, who have exhausted themselves from the country, have not been arrested.

He expressed a government dilemma and added that although the Interpol International Police had been involved to stop the three accused people, efforts have not yielded positive results.

According to him, accused people have not appeared in any area where Interpol could locate and arrest them.

Subsequently, the lawyer begged the judge to grant a fairly long time to allow the government to intensify the efforts to take the defendants to the country.

Judge Ekwo, who recalled that an arrest warrant had been issued a year ago against the accused persons granted the lawyer’s request and postponed the matter until November 3 of this year.

The federal government had requested the assistance of the International Organization of the Criminal Police (Interpol) to hunt and arrest three defendants in the alleged withdrawal of $ 6.2 million of the CBN last year through a falsified document.

The CBN special investigator’s office, Jim Obazee, made the request after obtaining an order from the Federal Superior Court in Abuja.

The office, through a letter of its operations, Eloho Okpoziakpo, appointed the defendants as Adamu Abubakar, Imam Abubakar and Odoh Ochene.

The Commission of Economic and Financial Crimes, EFCC, had previously submitted charges against him in the Federal Superior Court in Abuja for stealing said sum under the presence that the pre -surround requested it to pay international electoral observers.

The Anti-Injustrto agency claimed that on February 8, 2023, the accused people confirmed to obtain $ 6.2 million of the CBN, claiming that the money requested by the then secretary of the government of the Federation, Mustapha, “video a letter dated January 26, 2023 with reference No. SGF.43/L.01/”.

After his escape from Nigeria, the office of the then special investigator of the CBN asked the International Police Agency to “monitor” and place the three alleged fugitives in their “red notice” in order to arrest them and repatriate them.

The special investigator had previously obtained an arrest warrant for the three men of the Federal Superior Court through an ex -part motion presented on January 18.