We handed over suspects to EFCC’

BANKERS were shocked yesterday to learn of the N8b currency scam for which no fewer than 22 suspects are to face trial today in Ibadan.

It was the topic of discussions in banking halls, a source told The Nation.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has spoken on the scam in which six of its officials and 16 others from some commercial banks are involved.

The suspects, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleged, stole and recirculated, defaced and mutilated currencies amounting to N8b.

They include Patience Okoro Eye (Abuja), Afolabi Olufemi (Lagos), Kolawole Babalola (Ibadan), Olaniran Muniru Adeola (Ibadan), Fatai Yusuf Adekunle (Head, Security, CBN, (Ibadan) and Ilori Adekunle Sunday (Akure).

The remaining 16 suspects are from various commercial banks. They were found to have conspired with the CBN executives to swing the heist, the EFCC said.

CBN’s Director, Corporate Communications, Ibrahim Mu’azu, yesterday retraced the events that led the management of the apex bank to hand over the suspects to the EFCC for prosecution.

He said: “As soon as the Bank’s internal investigations concluded beyond reasonable doubt that some wrong doing had occurred, the affected members of staff who are middle-level officers were, depending on gravity of offence, either summarily dismissed or immediately placed on indefinite suspension on 21 October 2014, and all handed over to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution. The CBN has also conducted a nationwide audit of all 37 branches of the Bank and found that this was an isolated scheme at Ibadan Branch. The Bank will continue to collaborate with the EFCC to ensure that affected CBN staff, as well as their accomplices in some commercial banks, are brought to justice.”
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