INTERPOL places three former CBN staff on wanted list over forgery, $6million theft

Three Nigerians, including a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) employee, have been placed on an International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) red notice for allegedly forging documents and stealing over $6 million from the bank.

The suspects, identified as Odoh Eric Ocheme, Adamu Abubakar, and Imam Abubakar, are accused of conspiring to defraud the CBN by forging documents in the name of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to a letter sent by the Special Investigator appointed by the President to the Inspector General of Police, they used these forged documents to steal $6.23 million in cash from CBN coffers.

“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 letter reads.

“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 charged with six counts at the Federal High Court in 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 the 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.”