The Agbor Stakeholders Forum (ASF) has described the probe of former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and a Special Financial Investigator, Mr Jim Obazee as “mere propaganda”.
ASF wondered why there had been no substantial charge(s) that could stand the test of time in competent court against Emefiele since when he had been detained by the secret police.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, the National Coordinator of the forum, Kanene Kachikwu, argued that the former apex bank governor is being hunted down to destroy his hard-earned reputation.
Kachikwu said, “We, Agbor Stakeholders Forum (ASF) have watched with alarm, the seeming intention of the Federal Government under the charge of President Bola Tinubu, to hunt down and destroy our son, Mr Godwin Emefiele by any means possible.”
Relatives of the embattled former CBN governor had cried out that he was being illegally detained for the over six months he was in various security detentions.
“Though he was finally granted bail, we are moved to cry out once more because of the relentless propaganda and media assault the Federal Government has unleashed on Mr Emefiele in the last couple of weeks.
“We are worried that since the beginning of this administration, one man has been subjected to the investigation of the Department of State Service (DSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and a Special Financial Investigator, Mr Jim Obazee, yet no charges against him have been able to stand in the face of the court,” he said.
“The DSS had accused him of financing terrorism, an allegation that was not proven.
“This was to later turn to N1.2 billion official vehicles procurement irregularity allegedly perpetrated by Emefiele and a female colleague. This too didn’t stand in the court of law,” he said.
Most recently, the EFCC claimed it is probing forex transactions of the CBN spanning the last nine years (2014-2023)! Here’s a sample of the calumny and propaganda against Emefiele that has been put out in the public for a probe that has not been carried out
“This is typical of the lies and deceit in the various so-called probes of Emefiele. Questions to be asked are: does the EFCC have the capacity and personnel to probe 9 years of daily forex transactions? Why is the EFCC probe different from the Special Investigator Obazee probe?
“Finally, Obazee told the world in its leaked report that Emefiele had interests in three banks necessitating the takeover of the banks. But when the bank’s management was changed a few days ago, different reasons were added.
“According to the CBN, the infractions of the three banks (Union, Keystone and Polaris banks) range from, “regulatory non-compliance, corporate governance failure, disregarding the conditions under which their licences were granted, and involvement in activities that pose a threat to financial stability, among others.
“In all of this, the CBN didn’t give specific details of what constitutes infringement and non-compliance. Our point and also our grouse, is that these probes, investigations and reports therefrom are all politically motivated attempts to ‘destroy’ our brother for his alleged role in former President Buhari’s naira redesign policy.
“We make bold to say that all these investigations will turn out for good as they have shown Emefiele as a very decent man who can still stand after investigations by the DSS, EFCC and a Special Investigator. Yet no serious offence has been brought against him.
“In closing, we make bold to say that hardly anyone in government can survive this kind of scrutiny without being in jail already. In the light of this, we therefore consider the pursuit of Mr Godwin Emefiele, a successful and thoroughbred banker, as a political vendetta and witch-hunt and an attempt to destroy him,” the Forum said.
