$6.2 million theft: CBN staff, Ocheme declared wanted for forging Buhari’s signature

A staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Odoh Ocheme has been declared wanted for forging the former President Muhammadu Buhari’s signature to withdraw the sum of $6.2 million in guise of sponsoring foreign observers for the 2023 presidential election.
Ocheme and two other staff of CBN were found culpable in the ongoing trial of the former governor of the apex bank, Godwin Emefiele at a Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja.

The CBN staff were declared wanted after the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha testified in court confirming that his signature and that of the former President Muhammadu Buhari were forged.

In a letter addressed to the Assistant Inspector General of Police by office of the CBN special investigator, Ocheme, alongside one Adamu Abubakar and Imam Abubakar, were accused of conspiring and forging documents in the name of Buhari to steal $6,230,000 from the coffers of CBN.

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.”
Meanwhile, the FG has filed a six-count charge against Ocheme and his accomplices.