EFCC speaks on disappearance of N900m in custody

Admin l Monday, October 07, 2019

 

IBADAN, Nigeria- The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) has reacted to reports that the sum of N900 million being subject of prosecution at the Federal High Court, Ibadan, kept in several boxes in EFCC’s custody has turned to paper.

In a statement, the EFCC described the report as very mischievous and a gross misrepresentation of facts of the matter.

“The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has been drawn to several online reports alleging that about N900 million (Nine Hundred Million Naira) of mutilated naira notes, being subject of prosecution at the Federal High Court, Ibadan, and kept in several boxes in EFCC’s custody has turned to paper. The report is very mischievous and a gross misrepresentation of facts of the matter.

“It is imperative to note that the case was reported to the EFCC by the CBN in 2015 and the parties involved are currently in court. In the course of investigations,  EFCC operatives visited the CBN office in Ibadan to inspect the said boxes and discovered that the monies had been tampered with.

“This discovery was what informed the EFCC’s involvement in the case, resulting in interrogation of suspects and subsequent prosecution. At no point were the boxes of the mutilated naira notes taken to the office of the EFCC.

The defendants in the case are Patience Okoro Eye;  Afolabi Olufemi Johnson; Ilori Adekunle Sunday;  Kolawole Babalola,  Olaniran Muniru Adeola and Fatai Adedokun Yusuf

One of the counts reads; “That you Patience Okoro Eye;  Afolabi Olufemi Johnson; Ilori Adekunle Sunday;  Kolawole Babalola,  Olaniran Muniru Adeola and Fatai Adedokun Yusuf on or about 5th August, 2014 in Ibadan within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, engaged in corrupt practices when you replaced the content of a box of N1,000 denomination in a total sum of N10, 000,000 (Ten Million Naira) marked as ” Counted Audited Dirty” meant for briquetting,  with Newspapers and which sum you converted to  your own use and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 1(2) (a) and Section 10 (1) of the Recovery of Public Property (Special Provision) Act, Cap. R4, Laws of the Federation Nigeria, 2014″.

The EFCC noted that at the last hearing, the court mandated it to present the boxes at the next hearing as evidence.

“This is a clear departure from the mischievous accounts of naysayers who erroneously misinterpreted the position of the court to claim that the boxes were tampered with by the EFCC!”, the commission said.