$6.2m Fra¥d: FG asks Interpol to place three Nigerians on watchlist for allegedly conspiring with Emefiele to ‘forge Buhari’s signature’

The Nigerian government has requested the assistance of the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) to hunt and arrest three defendants in the alleged withdrawal of $6.2 million from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) last year through a forged document.

The office of the Special Investigator of the CBN, Jim Obazee, made the request
on Monday after obtaining an order of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The office, through a letter by its head of operations, Eloho Okpoziakpo, named the defendants as Adamu Abubakar, Imam Abubakar and Odoh Eric Ochene.

The federal government had filed extradition charges against the trio for allegedly forging the signature of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari and documents purportedly written by Boss Mustapha, the former secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), to induce the payment of $6,230,000 from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).The fund was purportedly meant for foreign election observers.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had earlier charged Mr Ochene, who is at large, alongside former CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, before the Federal High Court in Abuja with stealing the said sum under the presence that it was requested by the presidency to pay international election observers.

The anti-graft agency alleged that on 8 February 2023, Mr Emefiele connived with Mr Ocheme to obtain $6.2 million from the CBN, claiming that the money was requested by the then Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha “vide a letter dated 26 January 2023 with Ref No. SGF.43/L.01/.”