The Federal High Court’s document revealed that $6.2 million allegedly stolen from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on February 8, 2023, was shared and invested in real estate.
The special presidential investigative team led by Jim Obaze, probing the tenure of former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, the funds were removed from the apex bank’s vault under the guise of paying election observers.
Emefiele faces trial on a revised 20-count charge filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The charges include accusations of criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to obtain by pretense, and obtaining money under pretenses during his tenure as central bank chief.
According to the court documents, investigators identified the theft as an inside job primarily involving CBN officials, who allegedly colluded with two outsiders, Adamu Abubakar and Imam Abubakar.
The documents state that Odoh Eric Ocheme, Emefiele’s assistant, received $3,730,000 of the funds, while the remaining $2,500,000 was split among three other individuals.
Ocheme reportedly justified receiving the largest portion by explaining that he needed to settle other obligations within the apex bank.
The court document disclosed that some beneficiaries invested their portions of the loot, totaling approximately N1.4 billion, in real estate, some of which have since been recovered.
The Federal High Court in Abuja received an affidavit filed alongside an extradition charge pending against Adamu Abubakar, Imam Abubakar, and Odoh Eric Ocheme. A Deputy Superintendent of Police detailed the investigators’ findings and progress so far, noting that Adamu Abubakar, Imam Abubakar, and Ocheme are currently at large and believed to have fled the country.