The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday dismissed insinuations that the N900 million mutilated notes recovered from some bank officials disappeared from its custody.
According to agency, the boxes of the notes in question have never been in the custody of the commission, let alone officers of the EFCC having the opportunity to pilfer its content.
It said the only order made by Justice P.I Ajoku was to produce the 106 boxes containing the mutilated currencies as evidence.
The EFCC made the clarifications in a statement by its Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren.
The statement said: “The attention of the EFCC has been drawn to reports by a section of the online media alleging that N900 million mutilated Naira notes, recovered from bank officials currently being prosecuted before the Federal High Court, Ibadan had been tampered with by operatives of the commission.
“The reports which supposedly emanated from the October 4 proceedings of the Federal High Court,Ibadan claimed that the trial Judge, Justice P.I Ajoku made the discovery that operatives of the commission tampered with the boxes containing the money.
“It is important to state that this narrative is false and calculated to mislead the public.
“At no time during the proceedings did Justice Ajoku accuse the commission of tampering with any box.”
Giving insights into the order of the box, the statement added: “The only order made by the court was for the EFCC to produce the 106 boxes containing the mutilated currencies as evidence.
“How the order to produce the boxes turned into an indictment for tampering with N900million only exist in the warped imagination of the purveyors of the false report.
“Significantly, the mastermind of the false story betrayed their motives with a strange commentary, calling on the international community to be present at the adjourned sitting of the Federal High Court, Ibadan on 2nd and 3rd of December, 2019 “to witness the gross corruption by those employed by the government to curb corruption.
“The EFCC is not fazed by such rant. Neither is it losing sleep over the order by Justice Ajoku. For the benefit of the public, the boxes in question have never been in the custody of the commission, let alone officers of the EFCC having the opportunity to pilfer its content.”
The EFCC said it cannot be distracted by false narratives by some “disgruntled” elements.
It said: “Following a petition in November 2014, alleging the stealing of mutilated notes meant for destruction by employees of the Central Bank of Nigeria and other deposit money banks, operatives of the commission, in the course of investigation, visited the Ibadan Branch of the CBN and discovered that the boxes had been tampered. The boxes were never removed from the CBN.
“Indeed if the thrust of the case against the bankers is the pilfering of the content of the boxes then it beggars logic to expect EFCC officers to pilfer what had been pilfered in the vaults of the CBN.
“Members of the public are enjoined to completely disregard the story as false, mischievous and a deliberate ploy to impugn the integrity of the EFCC.” Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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