In a significant development, the special investigator assigned to probe the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Jim Obazee, has returned with recommended charges against senior officials of the past administration. According to reports from the Peoples Gazette, these officials are alleged to be linked to a brazen and relentless heist of public coffers.
Jim Obazee has specifically urged President Bola Tinubu to authorize the prosecution of former cabinet secretary Boss Mustapha and ex-Central Bank chief Godwin Emefiele. The charges revolve around their roles in the removal of $6.23 million cash from the bank’s cellar in Abuja.
The list of individuals recommended for trial includes directors, deputy directors, assistant directors, and branch controllers of the CBN. The alleged theft, said to have occurred on February 8, 2023, just two weeks ahead of the February 25 presidential election, is among various corrupt diversions of public money linked to Mr. Emefiele and other officials of the Buhari administration.
According to an undated memorandum believed to have reached President Tinubu on December 20, 2023, Mr. Obazee outlined the details of the heist. The investigator stated that on February 7-8, 2023, his team discovered that “$6.23 million was unlawfully removed from the vault cash from the foreign payments office, Abuja branch, of the Central Bank of Nigeria.” The physical acts were captured on CCTV footage and preserved as evidence.
The investigation suggests that efforts to steal the cash commenced on January 26 when Mr. Mustapha sent a memo to Mr. Emefiele requesting $6.23 million in cash. The subsequent investigation pointed out that the money was not given to foreign observers, raising suspicions of a cover-up conspiracy within the CBN.
The investigator, Mr. Obazee, stated that there was an "appearance of concealment" by CBN directors and departmental heads, including Ogbu Onyeka, Samuel Chukwuyen Okojere, and Elizabeth Fasoranti. Consequently, Mr. Obazee recommended charges for forgery, concealment, stealing, conspiracy, and fraud against Messrs Mustapha, Emefiele, and others involved.
While Mr. Obazee's investigation into CBN’s actions under Mr. Emefiele is ongoing, these recommended charges have brought to light a scandal that could have significant implications for the individuals involved and the broader political landscape.
Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.
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