Following series of accusations of terrorism financing and malfeasance leveled against Nigeria’s Central Bank governor, Godwin Emefiele, a group known as Coalition for Transparency and Economic Reforms (COTER) is seeking the assistance of the government of Denmark for the arrest and prosecution of the Apex Bank boss.
In a letter addressed to The Ambassador, Embassy of Denmark in Nigeria, co-signed by Dr Peter Chima Chukwu President, Mallam Auta Ibrahim Koko General Secretary, COTER urged the envoy to persuade President Muhammadu Buhari to direct antigraft agencies to arrest, investigate and prosecute the CBN governor.
The group claimed that Emefiele has been widely investigated by the Department of State Services (DSS) and has been found to have a lot of questions to answer concerning his management of Nigeria’s funds and economy in the past seven years.
“The DSS has also instituted suits in courts against him. But the CBN Governor has been using the same courts, by obtaining frivolous injunctions and orders, to stop the security agency from investigating and appropriately prosecuting him.
“The DSS has levelled series of damning allegations, including terrorism financing, fraud and economic sabotage against the CBN Governor, Emefiele. But surprisingly, the Nigerian government, too, and the military authorities have continued to give him undue protection against probe, arrest and prosecution”.
The group appealed to the envoy to prevail on the Nigerian Government and President Muhammadu Buhari to take immediate action against the CBN Governor by allowing the Department of Security Services (DSS) to perform its constitutional duty of investigating, questioning and prosecuting the CBN Governor in court over the various allegations against him.
COTER in the letter also attached a petition earlier sent President Muhammadu Buhari where it made the following demands,
“Direct the CBN governor to immediately step aside from office as the apex bank’s boss for proper investigation of the CBN.
“Emefiele should be ordered to make himself available for investigations to clear his name.
“The various security reports on the CBN Governor should be made public and published for all to see.
“Order the recovery of the monies stolen by Emefiele under your administration since 2015. administration.
“Order the conduct of comprehensive investigations of the entire CBN operations under Emefiele.
“Ways and Means request figures presented by Emefiele and the Minister of Finance to the National Assembly for approval over the years should be immediately further investigated.
“Travel ban be placed by the Federal Government on Emefiele and other indicted persons as the CBN governor along with his other accomplices, according to security reports, now making frantic efforts to escape from the country in this month of March.
“Setting up of a special consolidated account by the government for the safekeeping of funds recovered from Emefiele and others.
“Offset all debts owed and loans from the huge funds to be recovered from Emefiele and his cohorts before your administration leaves office so that the incoming administration will start on a clean slate.
“Demands the immediate arrest and prosecution of Emefiele and all others involved in all these monumental economic sabotage and heinous financial crimes against the Nigerian state”.
