CBN officials, Adamu Abubakar, Imam Abubakar, Odoh Ochene flee over $6.3m fraud

Three top officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Adamu Abubakar, Imam Abubakar, and Odoh Ochene, are on the run over a $6.3 million fraud.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled November 3 for their arraignment after they allegedly defrauded the Federal Government using forged letters from the Presidency and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) ahead of the 2023 general elections.

According to the prosecution, the accused fraudulently withdrew the money in cash from the apex bank, falsely claiming it was meant for foreign election observers. However, efforts to bring them to justice have stalled as they have fled the country.

At Thursday’s court session, prosecuting counsel Mr. Celestine Odoh informed the court that all attempts to locate them (Adamu Abubakar, Imam Abubakar, and Odoh Ochene) have failed, prompting the government to seek Interpol’s assistance. Despite being placed on a watchlist, their whereabouts remain unknown. The prosecution, therefore, requested a long adjournment to allow further efforts to track them down.

Granting the request, Justice Inyang Ekwo noted that more than a year had passed since the court issued a warrant for their arrest.

Recall that the office of the former Special Investigator of the CBN, Mr. Jim Obazee, had earlier obtained a bench warrant for their apprehension. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had charged the defendants with conspiring to fraudulently obtain $6.2 million from the CBN on February 8, 2023, using a forged letter allegedly from then-Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.