An investigator involved in the case of the $6,230,000 allegedly stolen from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on February 8, 2023, has disclosed what Godwin Emefiele, the former governor of the apex bank, told them at Kuje prison,Daily Trust reports.
Emefiele, facing a 20-count amended charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was previously held at Kuje prison. He is accused of criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to obtain money under false pretenses, and other related offenses during his tenure as CBN governor.
In an affidavit submitted to the Federal High Court in Abuja, a Deputy Superintendent of Police detailed the investigation’s findings and progress. The officer stated, “We visited Kuje Correctional Centre to interview Godwin Emefiele, who was purported to have approved the memos authorizing the payment as the then CBN governor. He denied seeing or approving such memos.
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“We also apprehended several CBN staff members, who denied involvement in the crime, before finally arresting Bashirudeen Maishanu. Maishanu corroborated the accounts of Abdulmajeed Muhammad and confessed his involvement, implicating Adamu Abubakar, Imam Abubakar, and Odoh Eric Ocheme.
“Maishanu admitted that he, along with Adamu Abubakar and Imam Abubakar, shared $2,500,000 from the stolen funds, while Ocheme, also a CBN employee, retained the remaining $3,730,000, claiming he needed to settle other interests within the bank.
“Additionally, Maishanu disclosed that he and the first two defendants invested the naira equivalent of $1,440,000,000 in Afrolyk Global Ltd’s real estate business. Afrolyk Ltd’s Managing Director, Aminu Lawal, confirmed the investment and has returned $200,000 to the Special Investigator’s team as part of the received funds.
“Bashir Maishanu also voluntarily returned about $400,000 of his share. The stolen money was taken in cash from the CBN and distributed among the defendants, complicating the tracing process without their arrests.
“Further investigation revealed that Ocheme was Emefiele’s Personal Assistant, while Adamu Abubakar and Imam Abubakar were businessmen and associates of Maishanu.”
