*6 former staff of a commercial bank accused in the N8billion mutilated currency scam in 2014 allege the people indicted in the Central Bank of Nigeria report are still living a normal life because they purportedly paid bribes to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s investigator for freedom

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

For purported bribes for freedom by the accused persons, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been petitioned to properly investigate the allegation of N96million bribery scam against its investigator in the N8billion mutilated currency scam of 2014 against some ex-bankers.

The six former staff of a commercial bank, at a press conference, accused of defrauding the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in the reported scam made the demand on the anti-graft Commission.

The accused persons include Ayodele Festus Adeyemi, Isiaka Akano, Sunday Ajiwe, Oyebanji Akeem, Ayodeji Alese, and Demola Oni, made the allegation at a press conference in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, at the weekend.

The ex-bankers are currently standing trial before the Federal High Court, in Ibadan.

Mutilated Naira Notes

The defendants explained that their demand was not targeted at fighting the EFCC, but to urge the agency to investigate the allegation levelled against its investigator of the case.

Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, Spokesperson of the Commission, on the allegation against the agency, however, told The Sun that “the case is before Federal High Court in Ibadan. Let them go and face their trials.”

They accused the EFCC of requesting the apparent bribes in the course of prosecution, so that they could be freed.

According to them, eight of the accused persons were asked to pay the bribes, but two allegedly paid in the end.

They also purposed that each of them paid N500,000 before they were allowed to go on Christmas holidays with their families December 2014.

The ex-bankers disclosed that they were in kept in custody from 2014 till they we’re admitted on bail a year ago.

According to them, they are still standing with the affidavits they swore at Federal High Court in Ibadan, and that their inability to pay N12million each as bribes allegedly to EFCC officials made them to be victimised, while those who had money were purportedly freed.

They insisted that they had no case to answer, as they also alleged that the people who were accused in the CBN report are still living a normal life because they had purportedly paid bribes for their freedom.

However, the ex-bankers urged the EFCC, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), and other security agencies to investigate activities of some of the Commission’s officials that they accused of collecting bribes to free accused persons.

The houses that EFCC seized from them, they further alleged, had been rented out by some officials of the anti-graft agency, and they have purportedly been collecting yearly rents on the properties.