Federal Government has declared a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) staff member, Odoh Ocheme, alongside two others, wanted for their alleged involvement in forging former President Muhammadu Buhari’s signature to embezzle $6.2 million from the apex bank.
The declaration was made in a letter sent to the Assistant Inspector General of Police by the Office of the CBN Special Investigator.
Ocheme, along with Adamu Abubakar and Imam Abubakar, stand accused of conspiring and forging documents in Buhari’s name to perpetrate the theft from the CBN’s funds.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has taken legal action by filing a six-count charge against Ocheme and his alleged accomplices.
The letter, signed by Head of Operation, Office of Special Investigator, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Eloho Okpoziakpo, read: “The Special Investigator, appointed by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to investigate the CBN Related Entities and other key government business entities, KGBEs, kindly requests you to place the above-named individuals on INTERPOL red notice.
“In the course of the Special Investigator’s assignment, Mr. Odoh 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 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 I.E. 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 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 special investigator, therefore, prays you to use your good offices to request that the Defendants be placed on Interpol Red Notice, with a view to apprehending and repatriating them from any of the Interpol member states to which they may have flown.”