According to Sahara Reporters, three employees of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and two staffs of Zenith Bank, were remanded on Thursday in Agodi prison, Ibadan for defrauding the apex bank and Zenith bank, a total sum of approximately two billion naira!
They were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, before a Federal High Court, sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State on a 14-count charge around conspiracy, fraud and stealing.
The suspects were Kolawole Babalola, Olaniran Muniru Adeola, Toogun Kayode Philip (all CBN Staffs), Ajuwon Bolade, Samuel Ogbeide (both Zenith Bank Staff), were docked before Justice A. O Faji.
The CBN employees were alleged to have defrauded the bank by compromising the CBN’s Briquetting exercise, by stealing huge sums of mutilated higher denomination Naira currencies meant to be exchanged for new notes. The other bankers allegedly acted as accomplices to the crime and also helped themselves to a sizeable chunk of the money.
When the charges were read to them, the reportedly all pleaded not guilty.
Count one of the charge reads:
“That you KOLAWOLE BABALOLA, OLANIRAN MUNIRU ADEOLA, TOOGUN KAYODE PHILIP, ONABANJO OLUWAMAYOWA (now at large), AJUNWA BOLADE, SAMUEL OGBEIDE and TIJANI OLUSOGA (now at large) between 2011 and 2012 in Ibadan, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, conspired amongst yourselves to commit an offence to wit: inducing the Central Bank of Nigeria to deliver property to Zenith Bank Plc, to wit: an aggregate sum of N1, 060, 000, 000 .00 (One Billion, Sixty Million Naira) as against the actual sum of N159, 431, 700 (One Hundred and Fifty Nine Million, Four Hundred and Thirty One Thousand, Seven Hundred Naira) on the false pretence that the 106 boxes containing supposed mutilated currencies which were taken to the Ibadan branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria contained a total sum of N1, 060, 000, 000 .00 (One Billion, Sixty Million Naira) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act”.