Forgery of Buhari Signature: Interpol To Arrest 3 Fleeing CBN Staff

BY MICHAEL AKINOLA

The Team of Special Investigator set up to investigate the massive fraud in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has written to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to place three Nigerians on Interpol Red Notice for fraud and forgery.

According to a letter addressed to the IGP signed by DCP Eloho Okpoziakpo, Head of Operations, Office of the Special Investigator and sighted by our correspondent, revealed that three suspects: Odoh Eric Ocheme, a staff of the CBN, and two of his accomplices –Adamu Abubakar and Imam Abubakar– all now at large, were discovered to have conspired and forged documents in the name of former President Muhammadu Buhari with which they stole about US$6,230,000 from the coffers of the CBN.

The letter read: “The Special Investigator, appointed by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to investigate the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Related Entities and other Key Government Business Entities kindly requests you to place the above-named individuals on INTERPOL RED NOTICE.

In the course of the Special Investigator’s assignment, Mr. Odoh Eric 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 (Six Million, Two Hundred and Thirty Thousand Dollars, 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 ILE. 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 Eric 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 trio had been slammed with six count charges at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Count six of the charges read: “That Adamu Abubakar (now at large), Imam Abubakar (now at large), Odoh Eric Ocheme (now at large), Bashirudeen Maishanu and others also now at large, on or about the 23rd day of January, 2023, at the Central Bank of Nigeria, Abuja Branch, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, by false pretence that one man who held out himself as Jibril Abubakar is a Staff from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and had approval of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to source money from the Central Bank of Nigeria for foreign Election Observers, and with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of six million, two hundred and thirty thousand United States Dollars ($ 6,230,000.00) from the Central Bank of Nigeria, Abuja Branch and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)[a] and punishable under Section 1(3) & Section 10 of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, Cap. A6 laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2010.”

Meanwhile, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, has said neither he nor former President Muhammadu Buhari gave any approval for the disbursement of $6,230,000 to international election observers.

Boss Mustapha spoke on Tuesday while testifying as the second prosecution witness in the trial of Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The EFCC alleged that Emefiele, in January 2023, forged a document titled: “RE: PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE ON FOREIGN ELECTION OBSERVER MISSIONS,” dated 26 January 2023 with Ref No. SGF.43/L.01/201.

According to the amended charge marked CR/577/2023, Emefiele, on February 8, 2023, connived with one Odoh Ocheme, who is now on the run, to obtain $6.2 million from the CBN, claiming that the SGF requested it “vide a letter dated 26th January 2023 with Ref No. SGF.43/L.01/201″.

However, led in evidence by Rotimi Oyedepo, Mustapha said he knew nothing about the transaction even after he left office in May 2023.

He said he only got to find out in December 2023 after the press published the news.

When shown the documents which purportedly emanated from the office of the president, the former SGF said: “On the face value of the document, I can say having served five years and seven months, this document did not emanate from the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Disputing the authenticity of the letter from the President, Mustapha said “a correspondence that carries the seal of the president of Nigeria does not carry a reference number. The seal is the authority”.

“The Federal Executive Council (FEC) decisions are not transmitted by letters. They are transmitted through extracts after conclusions are adopted, I am the custodian of the record of FEC, for that reason, the President cannot refer any executive conclusion to me. All the years I have served, I have never heard of the term “special appropriation provision.

“The two terms known to me are appropriation as provided for by the Appropriation Act passed by the National Assembly. The second is when the government finds a gap, it brings a supplementary appropriation.

“In all the correspondences I have received from Buhari, it has never had ‘Please accept the assurance of my highest regard’. I am his subordinate, the signature is a failed attempt at reproducing President Muhammadu Buhari’s signature. But I will leave that to the experts.”